An Action Research On Absenteeism As Percieved By Teachers And Students And Its Impact On The Academic Performance Of 1st Year Basic B. Sc. Nursing Students.

Abstract

Student absenteeism is a major concern for lecturers at Institutions of higher learning. Absences create a tiresome, unpleasant classroom environment that makes students who come to class uncomfortable and the lecturer irritable (Marburger 2001). Absenteeism disturbs the dynamic teaching-learning environment(Segal 2008). In quality terms, absenteeism is a waste of educational resources, time and human potential. Student absenteeism also causes rework and wasted time for lecturers (Lalek 1995; Rumberger 1997). Lecturers who spend class time re-teaching lessons take instructional time away from students who attend class regularly; and the extra time spent going over absentee homework and class assignments takes time away from lecturer planning periods and time needed to provide individual assistance (Weller 1996). When students are absent from class, they miss valuable information resulting from peer-lecturer interaction and the benefits of the specific examples lecturers use to clarify difficult concepts. This valuable part of the learning experience cannot be replicated when lecturers re-teachthe material to absentee students (Weller 1996; Williams 2000).