Attendance and Risk-Taking Behaviors of High School Students

1
Attendance and Risk-Taking Behaviors of High
School Students

• The University Of Texas at El Paso

2
Outline

• Introduction
• Method
• Data Analysis
• Budget
• References

3
Introduction

• Statement of Problem
• Review of Related Literature
• Needs Assessment
• Statement of Hypothesis/Null

4
Statement of Problem

• Students are partaking in risk-taking behaviors.
• Students who have chronic absence record or cut
  class are engaging in higher risk behaviors that
  cause negative consequences that affect their
  school performance and finance welfare (Epstein
  Sheldon, 2002).
• Students may
• Use cigarettes, drugs, or alcohol.
• Be involved in crime or violence.
• Drop out of school.
• Disassociate with family.

5
Review of Related Literature

• The organization of the review of literature is
  as follows
• First, school based factors of absences
• Second, social, economic, ethnic, and family
  status factors of absences
• Third, characteristics of crime
• Fourth, low Grade Point Average (GPA)
• Fifth, drop outs
• Sixth, financial loss of schools
• Seventh, parental involvement
• Last, methods of solving absenteeism and
  risk-taking behaviors.

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School Based Absence Factors

• Peer pressure
• Personality conflict with Teacher
• Failure to understand a subject
• Dislike of a particular class
• Failure to have completed homework (Gabb, 1995).

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Social, Economic, Ethnic, and Family Status
Factors

• Some chronically absent students believe that
  school is not rewarding for them, or they may
  have few, if any, mainstream friends at
  school, Dougherty, 1999.
• May not have many friends.
• Lack of finances to purchase school supplies.
• Parents are not involved at home or in school.

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Violent and Criminal Behaviors(V C Behaviors)

• Findings showed that frequently absent students
  engaged in more risk behaviors than those who
  were rarely absent (Guttmacher, Weitzman,
  Kapadia, Weinberg, 2002).
• Students may illegally use drugs, alcohol,
  cigarettes, or controlled substance while absent.
• Students may commit crimes in the community.
• Students may be involved in a bad crowd.

9
Low Grade Point Average (GPA) Factors

• Students are less likely to engage in risk
  behaviors when present and productive in school
  (Guttmacher, et. al., 2002).
• Students decrease their attendance in school.
• Students do not complete assignments.
• Students are involved in high risk behaviors that
  alter their present mind.
• Students may be socially or sexually active.
• Students simply do not care about school and
  grades.

10
Drop Out Factors

• High absences and truancy may lead to a
  permanent withdrawal from school (Epstein
  Sheldon, 2002).
• Dropping out is a long process of disengagement
  and withdrawal from school (Epstein, Sheldon,
  2002).
• Lower school attendance rate does not necessarily
  lead to dropping out (Scott Friedli, 2002).

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Financial Loss of Schools

• It costs a school district thousands of dollars
  each year in lost funds from the State and
  Federal government due to attendance figures
  being low (Garry, 1996).
• Schools benefit from high attendance rates.
• Schools lose money when it has a high drop out
  rate.
• Monitoring attendance requires time of
  administrators.

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Parental Involvement

• Families are an important influence on student
  attendance and an important resource for
  decreasing truancy and absenteeism (Epstein
  Sheldon, 2002).
• Parents need to check homework and report card
  grades.
• Become involved in PTA and other school
  organizations.
• Volunteer at school or in childs class.
• Be aware of childs social life and peers.
• Collaborate with the community.

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A School May

• Punish students who are truant and reward high
  attendance (Gabb, 1995).
• Suspend students from school or place in ISS
  (In-School Suspension) after a certain number of
  absences.
• Have incentives for parental involvement.
• Take the student to truancy court.
• Always be consistent!

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Needs Assessment

• Conducted at El Paso ISD (AEIS, 2003)
• 62,739 student enrollment
• 17,464 High School enrollment
• 42,161 low-income students (67.2)
• 95.6 attendance rate
• Violent or Criminal Behavior
• 601 Reported Incidents in Violent or Criminal
  Behaviors (data is based on 2001/02 data)

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• El Paso ISD High Schools Statistics
• Andress 1,971 enrolled
• 93.3 attendance 47 V C Behaviors
• Austin 1,566 enrolled
• 91.4 attendance 19 V C Behaviors
• Bowie 1,229 enrolled
• 92.6 attendance 125 V C Behaviors
• Burgess 1,456 enrolled
• 95.1 attendance 56 V C Behaviors
• Chapin 824 enrolled
• 96.5 attendance 58 V C Behaviors
• Coronado 2,499 enrolled
• 94.2 attendance 67 V C Behaviors
• El Paso High 1, 212 enrolled
• 94.8 attendance 23 V C Behaviors

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• El Paso ISD High Schools Statistics
• Irvin 1,798 enrolled
• 93.7 attendance 64 V C Behaviors
• Jefferson 1,219 enrolled
• 91.7 enrolled 55 V C Behaviors
• Franklin 2,564 enrolled
• 94.9 attendance 87 V C Behaviors
• Silva Health Magnet 717 enrolled
• 96.2 attendance 0 V C Behaviors
• Sunset 220 enrolled
• 98.7 attendance no data
• Delta Academy 89 enrolled
• 100 attendance no data
• Telles Academy 100 enrolled
• 87.1 attendance no data

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Statement of Hypothesis/Null

• Hypothesis Students who are chronically absent
  and/or class cutters are engaged in risk-taking
  behaviors during regular school time.
• Null Hypothesis Students who are chronically
  absent and/or class cutters are not engaged in
  risk-taking behaviors during regular school time.

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Method

• Participants
• 13 High Schools
• 1,080 participants
• Schools with more than 1,000 students, 100
  at-risk participants
• Schools with less than 1,000 students, 20 at-risk
  participants

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Method continued

• Classification of at-risk student
• Did not maintain average equivalent to 70 in two
  or more subjects in the foundation curriculum.
• Was not advanced from one grade level to the
  next.
• Did not perform satisfactory on TAKS/TAAS.
• Is pregnant or is a parent.
• Has been placed in an Alternative Education
  Program (AEP).
• Currently on parole or probation.
• Is a LEP student or homeless.

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Methods continued

• Procedure
• Time frame 2003/2004 school year
• Contact At-Risk Coordinator and principal
• Alphabetical list of at-risk students
• Pre-selected time and place
• Every 7th student
• Two days for all schools
• Parent consent form

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Methods Continued

• Five days for each schoolSurvey
• Stage 1 Give survey to present students
• Stage 2 Give survey to students not present on
  day 1.
• Stage 3 Incentives, used at local stores, given
  to participants in Stage 1 and 2. Mail out
  surveys to absent students not present during
  Stages 1, 2, and 3.

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Methods Continued

• Instruments 28 Question survey
• The study is three fold
• Evaluate the chronic absentees and class cutter
  students with risk-taking behaviors.
• Evaluate chronic absentees and class cutters
  involvement in risk-taking behaviors.
• Evaluate grade level involvement and risk-taking
  behaviors.

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Data Analysis

• First Analysis
• The Correlation will be used to determine if
  chronic absentees and class cutters are engaged
  in risk-taking behaviors.
• Second Analysis
• Independent Sample t-test will be used to measure
  the means between chronic absentee students vs.
  class cutting students.
• Third Analysis
• A paired t-test will be conducted to determine
  the frequency of risk-taking behaviors of each
  grade levels.

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Data Analysis Continued

• Limitations of Study
• Pool of students 1,080
• At-risk students not general population
• Different policies and procedures at each school
  with regard to discipline
• Demographics (Border city vs. Northern Texas
  districts)
• Gender reaction to risk-taking behaviors

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Data Analysis Continued

• Delimitations of Study
• Students move without informing school
• Chronically ill students
• Failure to return Consent forms
• Lack of participation from schools
• Time element for principals and At-Risk
  Coordinator
• Return of mailed surveys
• Wrong address of participant

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Budget

• Projected costs for 1,080 participants
• Clasp envelopes 54.00
• Copies of Survey 540.00
• Copies of Consent Forms 324.00
• 100 extra copies of Consent Forms 30.00
• Stamps 400.00
• Labels 10.99
• Return Clasp, stamped, labeled envelopes 464.99
• Thank you Cards 12.99
• Taxes for total purchase 151.55
• Total cost 1,934.52
• Surveys being exactly what we want
• Priceless

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References

• REFERENCES
• Bracey, Gerald W. (1996). Phi Delta Kappan.
  Dropping Ou A Complex Phenomenon, v77,386.
• Capps, William R. (2003). School Administrator.
  The New Face of Truancy, v60(4), 34.
• Corville-Smith, Ryan, Adams, Dalicandro (1998).
  Journal of Youth and Adolescence.
• Distinguishing Absentee Students from Regular
  Attenders The Combined Influence of
• Personal, Family, and School Factors, v27, No.5,
  629-640.
• Dougherty, John W. (1999). Phi Delta Kappa
  Fastbacks. Attending to Attendance, v450, 7-49.
• Epstein, Sheldon (2002). The Journal of
  Educational Research. Present and Accounted for
  
• Improving Student Attendance Through Family and
  Community Involvement, v95(5), 308-318.
• Gabb, Sean (1997). Truancy in the United States
  A Brief Overview. Review of the book Issues
• in School Attendance and Truancy. Pitman Press,
  Ch 12.
• Garry, Eileen M. (1996). Truancy First Step to a
  Lifetime of Problems.
• Goldberg, Margaret E. (1999). Social Work in
  Education. Truancy and Dropout Among
• Cambodian Students Results From a Comprehensive
  High School, v21(1), 49,15,1.
• Gullatt, Lemoine (1997). American Secondary
  Education. Truancy Whats a Principal to Do?,
• V26, 7-12.
• Guttmacher, Weitzman, Kapadia, Weinberg (2002).
  Classroom-Based Surveys of Adolescent
• Risk-Taking Behaviors Reducing the Bias of
  Absenteeism. (Report No. 00900036)
• American Journal of Public Health. (ERIC Document
  Reproduction Service No. EA5EB276)