Investigating the Factors Affecting University Students’ Attendance and Truancy Behaviors

Author(s) : Bashir Hussain 1 , Asia Zulfqar 2 *

Abstract:

Abstract

Many studies have found positive and significant relationship between students' attendance and their academic success. Personal experiences of researchers as university teachers and an initial conversation with colleagues, however, found that students’ attendance is not up to the mark in public sector universities of Southern Punjab. Considering the importance of the theme, this study mainly investigates university students’ attendance and truancy behaviors, followed by examining the nature, motives and reasons for these behaviors. This study further suggests the solutions for improving university students’ attendance and truancy behaviors. This research employed survey design. For this study, 25160 students at a large sized general university (Bahauddin Zakariya, University, Multan) from southern Punjab of Pakistan were taken as a population. A total of 317 students were selected as a sample using multistage cluster sampling technique. A closed-ended Students’ Attendance and Truancy Behaviors (SATB) questionnaire was developed, based on the relevant literature, and primarily adapted from Freiberg’s (1998) “Tool 9: Attendance Survey”. It comprised 36 statements. The Cronbach’s Alpha reliability coefficient for five-point rating scale statements was 0.89. In alignment with nature of data and research questions, the frequencies, percentages, mean, and the standard deviations were calculated. This study observed that only less than one fourth university students are never late in taking their classes every, while remaining majority of them are late to their classes either one-two times, three-four times or almost every day. This study indicated that tendency of students' behaviors for late arrival to their classes is far more than their tendencies of missing an entire day of their studies at the university

Keywords: Attendance, Truancy, Behaviors, University, Motives, Reasons.