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Title Antecedent and Consequences of Truancy in School Students: An Exploratory Sequential Study

Author(s) Muhammad Aqeel

Abstract This study explored the antecedents and consequences of school truancy among Pakistani school students. It also developed a novel model and a diagnostic instrument for early screening of truant behavior in middle and high school students. A mixed-methods approach was used for this purpose. This study was divided into two phases: (1) the qualitative phase and (2) the quantitative phase. In the qualitative phase, ten focus group discussions with eighty-one truant students were conducted in Faisalabad, Pakistan. The thematic analysis explored many indigenous psychosocial factors, including personal, school, family, and environmental factors triggering truancy. The study also explored different indigenous psychosocial problems, including school, health concerns, and mental health problems developed by school-truant behavior in students. Moreover, this study's findings led to the development of a novel duo-dimensional deviance development model that highlighted the interplay between delinquent behavior and mental health problems in Pakistani high and middle schools. This study concludes that the personal experiences of truant students highlighted multiple indigenous factors that adversely impact or instigate school truancy in school students. The quantitative study involved nine hundred sixty participants (truant students, n = 361; punctual students, n = 599) from different public schools, internet cafes, and community parks in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to examine the novel structure of the School Truancy Scale (STS) in school-truant students. EFA analysis explored a distinctive five-factor model, delineating specific factors targeting general school truancy, personal issues-based truancy, teacher-based truancy, social problems-based truancy, and educational or institutional-based truancy. This standard classification enhances the precision of the instrument, providing a comprehensive understanding of the complex nature of school truancy in school settings. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis also revealed that the STS had strong diagnostic ability to differentiate between punctual and truant students. This study highlighted that STS has good reliability and validity and effectively distinguishes between truant and punctual students. This study’s findings highlighted the dire need to develop early psychosocial proactive measures, preventions, and interventions by school practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to address and tackle the school truancy problem and enhance and spread public awareness of how to resolve this serious problem in Pakistani educational settings.

Type Thesis/Dissertation PhD

Faculty Social Sciences

Department Psychology

Language English

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