Absenteeism - Module 4

1. MAIN REASONS

1.1. RISK FACTORS AND FIRST WARNING SIGNS

Theoretical approaches and researches on absenteeism and school dropout have focused on different aspects to assess risk factors and to prevent school absenteeism. Therefore, the results show the following risk factors depending on the aspects analysed: social and family factors, the individual, the characteristics of the students, and their academic behaviours and the school. 

  • Social risk factors: being of a minority race/ethnicity, minority language, low socio-economic status, family structure or low educational level of the parents. 
  • Risk factors in the family: poverty and social precariousness, single-parent families, unstructured families, social risk behaviours in the family, lack of discipline and parental control, neglect, family events such as divorce or separation, loss or bereavement, mental and physical wellbeing of parents - presence of anxiety in a parent.
  • Risk factors related to the individual: not having ties with their peer group outside of school, presenting antisocial behaviours, isolation in class, bullying situations, low intellectual capacity, prolonged or severe illness. 
  • Academic risk factors: low grades, a negative school record, low academic performance, low educational expectations, early repetitions of courses or behaviour problems, pressure of curricular or cognitive demands.
  • School risk factors: climate and relationships between teachers and students, not fostering relationships between equals, transition to secondary school, lack of fluently communication between parents and school

Traditionally, students have been considered responsible for their decision to absent or drop out of school, which means blaming the victims, exonerating the school or the context as they cannot do anything about external risk factors (either poverty family that the student may present, lack of skills or intellectual capacity for academic success or don not value education…). These attributions of responsibility towards a persona, in this case the absentee student with ASD, who is considered in general terms ‘irresponsible’, makes that sometimes some students are convinced that things are like that, that it is in their nature. This convention is known in psychology as self-fulfilling prophecy. 

It would be as wrong to exclusively blame society, families or students, as to make the school solely responsible for absenteeism. The involvement of all social agents is essential for, on the one hand, knowing the risk factors, taking them into account and being able to alleviate them, and on the other hand, intervening early when the first signs are detected: