Relationship between Secondary School Students’ Absenteeism and Socioeconomic Status of their Parents

Abstract

Socio-economic Status (SES) is a key indicator of the success, subsistence, and survival of individuals, families, communities, and countries. Secondary education is a critical phase, as parents often shift their priorities from their children’s schooling to jobs, household responsibilities, and even early marriages of girls. Consequently, maintaining regular attendance in 9th and 10th grades poses a significant challenge for teachers and institutions. The current study investigated the impact and relationship of parents’ SES on students’ absenteeism in secondary schools. The study was descriptive and correlational. All the teachers and students of public and private secondary schools in District Layyah constituted the population. A sample of 1120 participants (1000 students from 9th and 10th grades and 120 teachers) was selected using a simple random sampling technique. Two instruments, developed by the researcher in the form of five-point Likert scale questionnaires, were used for collecting required data. The researcher personally collected the entire data using both questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS (Version 26). The results revealed a significantly strong positive relationship between the socioeconomic status of parents and students’ absenteeism in schools. The results were consistent across genders and both school sectors, with slight variations in the strength of the positive correlation. These conclusions of the study are beneficial for teachers and relevant stakeholders in devising strategies to improve SES and reduce truancy among students.