Measuring School Absenteeism: Administrative Attendance Data Collected by Schools Differ From Self-Reports in
Gil Keppens1, Bram Spruyt1, Jonas Dockx2
1Research Group TOR, Department of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
Frontiers in Psychology
|December 19, 2019
Summary
School attendance data collection may miss students with emerging school absenteeism problems (SAPs). Registered unauthorized absences often differ systematically from self-reported data, particularly for certain student groups.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Sociology of Education
- Adolescent Health
Background:
- Effective school absenteeism prevention requires accurate attendance monitoring.
- Current administrative data may not fully capture all students with school attendance problems (SAPs).
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare administrative and self-reported unauthorized school absenteeism in adolescents.
- To determine if differences between registered and self-reported absences are systematic.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of administrative electronic registration data with self-reported attendance data.
- Study population: 4344 students aged 15-16 in Flanders, Belgium.
- Analysis of systematic differences based on student demographics and absence characteristics.
Main Results:
- A weak association was found between self-reported and registered unauthorized school absenteeism.
- Specific student groups (boys, vocational tracks, language minorities, lower maternal education, allowance recipients) showed more registered than reported unauthorized absences.
- Students with school refusal or frequent authorized absences also had higher registered unauthorized absences.
Conclusions:
- Administrative attendance data may underestimate actual unauthorized absenteeism in vulnerable student populations.
- Systematic discrepancies highlight limitations in current school attendance monitoring for identifying all students with school attendance problems.
- Findings have implications for developing more inclusive and accurate absenteeism assessment strategies.
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