Home⇛SALETTINIAN OPEN ACADEMIC REVIEW⇛vol. 7 no. 1 (2025)

Project Games: A Sports-Based Truancy Intervention To Reduce Student Absenteeism At Doña Aurora National High School

Arnel A. Simon

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

Students’ attendance at school and their classes plays a decisive role in the success of education. Absenteeism and truancy are prevalent issues in today’s academic scenario. Recognition of the roles of attendance, academic engagement, and participation in extracurricular activities, such as sports, can improve students' motivation to attend school. The study was conducted at Doña Aurora National High School to assess the effectiveness of Project GAMES, a truancy intervention program, on 30 students purposively selected based on their accumulated absences for the 2023- 2024 school year. The study employed a mixed-methods research design, focusing on both descriptive and narratology approaches. The most common perceived barriers to school attendance are a lack of understanding of lectures, a lack of interest, and an inconducive classroom environment. The most common causes of absenteeism are illness, oversleeping, and other personal commitments such as work. Truancy interventions primarily involved the support of advisors or counselors, with home visitation being less common and take-home activities being rare. Ultimately, participation in the intervention program has improved attendance and grades and led to positive behavioral changes. Students also reported increased motivation, leadership growth, and parental pride as a result of the intervention, indicating positive impacts on students’ well-being and academic success. Therefore, it is recommended that the implementation of Project GAMES be continued and expanded to other academic disciplines.



References:

  1. Allensworth, E. M., & Easton, J. Q. (2007). What matters for staying on-track and graduating in Chicago Public High Schools: A close look at course grades,    failures, and attendance in the freshman year. Chicago, IL: Consortium on        Chicago School Research.
  2. Ansari, A., Hofkens, T. L., & Pianta, R. C. (2020). Absenteeism in the first decade      of education forecasts civic engagement and educational and            socioeconomic prospects in young adulthood. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49, 1835-1848.
  3. Armour K, Duncombe R, Stewart K. YST/BSkyB “Living for Sport Programme:            Year 4 report—Institute of Youth Sport 2007.
  4. Atkinson, M & Kinder, K (2000). Starting to join: an evaluation of multi-agency             support team activity in schools. Paper presented at BERA, Cardiff 2000.         Slough: NFER
  5. Attendance Works. (2015). Mapping the early attendance gap: Charting a course forschoolsuccess.Retrievedfromhttp://www.attendanceworks.org/wpcontent/uploads/2017/05/Mapping-the-Early-Attendance-Gap_Final-4.pdf.
  6. Babakhanian Z, Rezvani Khorashadi R, Vakili R, Ajilian Abbasi M, Akhavan H,           Saeidi M. Analyzing the Factors Affecting Students’ Absenteeism in         University Classrooms; A Systematic Review. Med Edu Bull 2022; 3(4): 563-75.DOI: 10.22034/MEB.2022.353007.1064
  7. Balfanz, R., & Byrnes, V. (2012). The importance of being there: A report on absenteeism in the nation’s public schools. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore:          Johns Hopkins University Center for Social Organization of Schools
  8. Balkıs, M., Arslan, G., & Duru, E. (2016). The school absenteeism among high           school students: Contributing factors. Educational Sciences: Theory &             Practice, 16, 1819–1831.
  9. Basch, C. E. (2011). Asthma and the achievement gap among urban minority youth. Journal of School Health, pp. 81, 606–613.
  10. Bevans, K. B., Bradshaw, C. P., Miech, R., & Leaf, P. J. (2007). Staff- and       school-level predictors of school organizational health: A multilevel analysis. The Journal of School Health, 77, 294–30
  11. Bevans, K. B., Bradshaw, C. P., Miech, R., & Leaf, P. J. (2007). Staff- and      school-level predictors of school organizational health: A multilevel analysis. The Journal of School Health, 77, 294–30
  12. Black, A. T., Seder, R. C., & Kekahio, W. (2014). Review of research on student non-enrollment and chronic absenteeism: A report for the Pacific Region (REL 2015–054). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation             and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Pacific. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs.
  13. California Department of Education (2017, December). State schools chief Tom Torlakson announces that statewide chronic absenteeism data is available           forthe first time. News release. Retrieved from    https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr17/yr17rel88.asp
  14. Chang, H. N., Bauer, L., & Byrnes, V. (2018). Data matters: Using chronic                   absence to accelerate action for student success. Attendance Works and               Everyone Graduates Center. Retrieved from                 http://www.attendanceworks.org/data-matters/
  15. Cholewa, B., Hull, M. F., Babcock, C. R., & Smith, A. D. (2018). Predictors and           academic outcomes associated with in-school suspension. School PsychologyQuarterly, pp. 33, 191–199.
  16. Cresswell JW, Plano Clark VL. Designing and conducting mixed-method         research. 2nd Sage; Thousand Oaks, CA: 2011.
  17. Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and Conducting Mixed            Methods Research (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
  18. Da Costa Nunez, R., Erb-Downward, J., & Shaw-Amoah, A. (2015). Empty seats:       The epidemic of absenteeism among homeless elementary students. The Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness. Retrieved from http://www.icphusa.org/new_york_city/emptyseats-the-epidemic-of-absenteeism-among-homeless-elementary-students/
  19. Din, F. S. (2015). Sports activities versus academic achievement for rural high            school students. National Forum of Applied Educational Research JournalElectronic, 18(3).
  20. Egger, H. L., Costello, E. J., & Angold, A. (2003). School refusal and psychiatric         disorders: A community study. Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42, 797-807.
  21. Enosh, G., Tzafrir, S. S., & Stolovy, T. (2014). The development of a client violencequestionnaire (CVQ). Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 9(3),          273–290. https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689814525263
  22. Entwisle, D. R., Alexander, K. L., & Olson, L. S. (1997). Children, schools, and            inequality. Boulder, CO: Westview
  23. Erbstein, N., Olagundoye, S., Hartzog, C. (2015). Chronic absenteeism in       Sacramento City Unified School District: Emerging lessons from four       learning collaborative sites. Davis, CA: UC Davis Center for Regional            Change.
  24. Farias, Cláudio & Isabel, Mesquita & Hastie, Peter. (2018). Farias, Mesquita and        Hastie, 2018. Student game-play performance in invasion games following      three consecutive hybrid sports education seasons. 1-22. European         Physical Education Review. 25. 10.1177/1356336X18769220.
  25. Feldman, M. A., Ojanen, T., Gesten, E. L., Smith‐Schrandt, H., Brannick, M., Totura, C. M. W., ... & Brown, K. (2014). The effects of middle school            bullying and victimization on adjustment through high school: Growth        modeling of achievement, school attendance, and disciplinary trajectories.           Psychology in the Schools, 51, 1046-1062.
  26. Fetters, M. D. (2016). Haven’t we always been doing mixed methods research?          Lessons learned from the development of the horseless carriage. Journal          of Mixed Methods Research, 10(1), 3–11.     https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689815620883
  27. Flannery, K. B., Frank, J. L., & Kato, M. M. (2012). School disciplinary responses       to absenteeism: Current practice and future directions. Journal of School             Violence, pp. 11, 118–137.
  28. Gastric, B. (2008). School absenteeism and the disciplinary problems of bullying         victims. Educational Review, 60, 391-404.
  29. Guevara, J.P., Mandell, D., Danagoulian, S., Reyner, J., & Pati, S. (2013).      Parental depressive symptoms and children’s school attendance and            emergency department use: A nationally representative study. Maternal     Child Health Journal, 19, 1130–1137.
  30. Hawkins R, Mulkey LM: Athletic investment and academic resilience in a national       sample of African American females and males in the Middle Grades.       EducUrban Society 2005, 38:62-88.
  31. Heatly, M. C., Bachman, H. J., & Votruba-Drzal, E. (2015). Developmental      patterns in the associations between instructional practices and children’s       math trajectories in elementary school. Journal of Applied Developmental           Psychology, 41(November), 46–59.       https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2015.06.002
  32. Hjalmarsson, R. (2008). Criminal justice involvement and high school completion.       Journal of Urban Economics, 63, 613-630.
  33. Houlihan, B., Bloyce, D., and Smith, A., 2009. Developing the research agenda in      sport policy. International journal of sport policy, 1 (1), 1–12. doi:10.1080/19406940802681186
  34. Humm Brundage, A., Castillo, J. M., & Batsche, G. M. (2017). Reasons for      chronic absenteeism among secondary students: Survey summary report.       Tampa, FL: Florida’s Problem Solving & Response to Intervention Project
  35. Humm Patnode, A., Gibbons, K., & Edmunds, R. R. (2018). Attendance and   Chronic Absenteeism: Literature Review. Saint Paul, MN: University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development, Center for      Applied Research and Educational Improvement.
  36. Humm Patnode, A., Gibbons, K., & Edmunds, R. R. (2018).Attendance and    Chronic Absenteeism: Literature Review.Saint Paul, MN: University of   Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development, Center for      Applied Research and Educational Improvement.
  37. Jeanes R, Musson H, Kay T. Chance to Shine evaluation: Year 3 Impact Report.        Institute of Youth Sport 2009.
  38. Jordan, P. W. & Miller, R. (2017). Who is in Chronic absenteeism under the Every Student Succeeds Act? Washington, DC: Future Ed.
  39. Jovinius, J. (2015). an investigation of the effect of geographical location of     schools to the students’ academic performance: a case of public          secondary schools in mulebadistrict.http://repository.out.ac.tz/1396/1/JOSEPH’S_RESEARCH_edited.pdf
  40. Kearney, C. A., & Graczyk, P. (2014). A response to intervention model to       promote school attendance and decrease school absenteeism. Child & Youth Care Forum, 43, 1-25.
  41. Kirksey, J. J. (2019). Academic harms of missing high school and the accuracy of      current policy thresholds: Analysis of preregistered administrative data             from a California school district. AERA Open, 5(3), 2332858419867692.
  42. Klein, M, Sosu, EM & Dare, S (2022). ‘School absenteeism and academic       achievement: Does the reason for absence matter?’, AERA Open, vol. 8,     no. 1. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584211071115
  43. Klein, M., Sosu, E. M., & Dare, S. (2022). School absenteeism and academic achievement: Does the reason for absence matter? AERA Open, 8, 23328584211071115.
  44. Klein, M., Sosu, E. M., & Dare, S. (2022). School Absenteeism and Academic Achievement:Does the Reason for Absence Matter? https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584211071115
  45. Korpershoek, H., Canrinus, E. T., Fokkens-Bruinsma, M., & de Boer, H. (2020).                      The relationship between school belonging and students’ motivational,        social-emotional, behavioral and academic outcomes in secondary           education: A meta-analytic review. Research Papers in Education, 35(6), 641–680. https:// doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2019.1615116
  46. Lee, T., Cornell, D., Gregory, A., & Fan, X. (2011). High suspension schools and        dropout rates for black and white students. Education and Treatment of            Children, pp. 34, 167–192.
  47. Libbey HP. Measuring Student Relationships to School: Attachment, Bonding,       Connectedness, and Engagement. Journal of School Health 2004;274–     283.
  48. Long J, Welsh M, Bramham P, Butterfield J, Hylton K, Lloyd E. Count me in the          dimensions of social inclusion through culture and sport. London: DCMS    2002.
  49. Lyon AR. Confirmatory factor analysis of the School Refusal Assessment Scale-        Revised in an African American community sample. J Psychoeduc Assess.           2009 Nov 22;20(10):1-13. Doi: 10.1177/0734282909353438. PMID:            20567603; PMCID: PMC2887607.
  50. Maxwell, J. A. (2016). Expanding the history and range of mixed methods       research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 10(1), 12–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689815571132
  51. Melnick MJ, Sabo DF, Vanfossen B. Educational effects of interscholastic athletic participation on African-American and Hispanic youth. Adolescence.      1992;27: 295–308.
  52. Mendell, M. J., Eliseeva, E. A., Davies, M. M., Spears, M., Lobscheid, A., Fisk, W.      J., & Apte, M. G. (2013). Association of classroom ventilation with reduced            illness absence: a prospective study in California elementary schools.        Indoor Air, 23, 515-528.
  53. Mendell, M. J., Eliseeva, E. A., Davies, M. M., Spears, M., Lobscheid, A., Fisk, W.      J., & Apte, M. G. (2013). Association of classroom ventilation with reduced            illness absence: a prospective study in California elementary schools.        Indoor Air, 23, 515-528.
  54. Minnesota Department of Education. (2018a). Implementing ESSA: Consistent           attendance summary.Retrievedfromhttps://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/ESSA/Imp/MDE072612.
  55. Morrissey, T. W., Hutchison, L., & Winsler, A. (2014). Family income, school   attendance, and academic achievement in elementary school.                 Developmental Psychology, 50(3), 741–753.           https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033848
  56. National Center for Safe Routes to School (2016). Trends in walking and         bicycling to school from 2007 to 2014. Chapel Hill, NC: U.S. Department    of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved from     www.saferoutesinfo.org
  57. National Collaborative on Education and Health (2015). Brief on chronic          absenteeism and school health. Chicago, IL: Author.
  58. Neumark-Sztainer, D., French, S.A., Hannan, P.J. et al. School lunch and       snacking patterns among high school students: Associations with school   food environment and policies. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2, 14 (2005).          https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-2-14
  59. Patton MQ. Qualitative research and evaluation methods. 3rd Sage Publications; Thousand Oaks, CA: 2002.
  60. Poth, C., & Munce, S. E. P. (2020). Commentary—Preparing today’s researchers       for a yet unknown tomorrow: Promising practices for a synergistic and   sustainable mentoring approach to mixed methods research learning.           International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches, 12(1), 56–64. doi:10.29034/ijmra.v12n1commentary
  61. Pourat, N. & Nicholson, G. (2009). Unaffordable dental care is linked to frequent         school absences. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Center for Health Policy      Research.
  62. Rasmussen, K. (2017). The changing sports scene. Educational Leadership, 57(4), 26-29.
  63. Rees, D. I. and Sabia, J. J. (2018). Sports participation and academic performance: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of   Adolescent Health. Economics of Education Review, 29(2018), 751–759.
  64. Reid, Ken. (2005). The Causes, Views and Traits of School Absenteeism and Absenteeism: An Analytical Review. Research in Education. 74.   10.7227/RIE.74.6.
  65. Sandford R, Armour K, Bowyer S. It might be fashionable, but does it “work”?:            Physical activity, behavior management and impact paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Manchester University, September 2004.
  66. Shorten A., & Smith J. (2017). Mixed methods research: Expanding the evidence       base. Evid Based Nurs, 20, 74–5. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/eb-2017-          102699
  67. Stempel H, Cox-Martin M, Bronsert M, Dickinson LM, Allison MA. Chronic School Absenteeism and the Role of Adverse Childhood Experiences. Acad Pediatr. 2017 Nov-Dec;17(8):837-843. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2017.09.013.        Epub 2017 Sep 18. PMID: 28927940.
  68. Suleman, Q., Aslam, H. D., Ali, N., Hussain, Dr. I., & Akhtar, Z. (2013).      Techniques used by secondary school teachers in managing classroom        disruptive behaviour of secondary school students in District Karak (Pakistan). International Journal of Learning and Development, 3(1), 236.           https://doi.org/10.5296/ijld.v3i1.3403
  69. Taras, H. (2018). Physical activity and student performance at school. Journal of        School Health, pp. 75, 214–218.
  70. U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Justice. (2015). Every Student, Every Day: A           Community Toolkit to Address and Eliminate Chronic Absenteeism, Washington, D.C.: Author
  71. Vidyakala, K., Factors Influencing Student Absenteeism in School (June 30, 2017). International Journal of Science and Research, 2017, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3614281
  72. Welk G. Cardiovascular Fitness and Body Mass Index are Associated with      Academic Achievement in Schools. Dallas, Texas: Cooper Institute. 2009.
  73. What is chronic absence. https://portal.ct.gov/SDE/Publications/Reducing-      Chronic-Absence-in-Connecticuts-Schools/What-is-chronic-absence
  74. What is chronic absence? CT.gov. (n.d.). https://portal.ct.gov/SDE/Publications/Reducing-Chronic-Absence-in-         Connecticuts-Schools/What-is-chronic-absence
  75. Wiseman, A. & Dawson, S. (2015). Why do students miss school? The Central           Texas absence reasons study. E3 Alliance. Retrieved from      http://e3alliance.org/the-ctx-absencereasons-study/

Tools


Copyright © 2025  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic