School attendance problems (SAPs) are heterogeneous with respect to etiology and presentation. The long history of conceptualizing SAPs has led to a vast array of terms and definitions as well as ...different perspectives on the most helpful approach to classification. For educators, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers, this presents a challenge in understanding, assessing, and intervening with SAPs. This paper outlines evolution in the conceptualization of SAPs, focusing on two contemporary approaches to differentiating between them. One approach draws on the longstanding differentiation between SAP types labeled school refusal, truancy, and school withdrawal. A fourth type of SAP, labeled school exclusion, is also considered. The other approach focuses on the function of absenteeism, measured via the School Refusal Assessment Scale (SRAS). Anecdotal and scientific support for the SAP typology is presented, along with the benefits and shortcomings of the SRAS approach to differentiation. The paper offers suggestions for how to differentiate between SAPs and introduces the SNACK, a brief screening measure that permits differentiation by SAP type.
•The heterogeneity of school attendance problems presents a challenge for educators, practitioners, researchers, and policy-makers.•Differentiation between school refusal, truancy, school withdrawal, and school exclusion appears meaningful.•Differentiation based on the functional conditions of the School Refusal Assessment Scale may benefit treatment planning but be insufficient for classification.•The School Non-Attendance Checklist may facilitate differentiation between school refusal, truancy, school withdrawal, and school exclusion.
School refusal (SR) is considered as a clinical form of emotionally based school absenteeism related to the experience of strong negative emotions when attending school. However, there are no ...psychometrically sound measures specifically designed to assess SR. The aim of the present research was to develop and validate a multidimensional self-report measure of SR: the SChool REfusal EvaluatioN Scale (SCREEN) for adolescents.
Two studies were performed to develop this scale. Study 1 used content analysis on 42 semi-directed interviews to identify and organize the indicators of SR and to generate items. The item pool was then reviewed by experts to construct a pilot scale. Study 2 examined the psychometric properties of this pilot scale of the SCREEN in a community sample of 649 French adolescents (age: 10-16 years) and a clinical sample of 31 adolescents.
The initial SCREEN structure was identified via exploratory factor analysis, and the resultant model was validated using confirmatory factor analysis. In its final version (an 18-item, four-factor measurement model), the SCREEN reliably measures four interrelated aspects of SR. Data suggest good reliability and validity of scores on this SR measure. Results of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated good accuracy of the SCREEN (sensitivity = .94 and specificity = .88).
The SCREEN offers a new and valid measure to assess SR in research and clinical settings.
This study aims to answer two crucial problems in education, especially school refusal for Madrasah Ibtidaiyah students. First, to express the students' reasons why they do school refusal. The second ...is to reveal the implications for the students' psychological and academic factors. In this study, the researcher used a descriptive qualitative approach to describe natural phenomena or human manipulation phenomena. The data was obtained through an interview with the seven students of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Negeri 1 Semarang. To analyze the data, the researcher used non-statistical methods with interactive methods developed by Miles and Huberman. This research indicated that the students refuse to go to school because of physical conditions such as getting a fever or sick and psychological conditions such as not doing the homework and being bullied. The absence of the students during the learning process, especially Mathematics, affects their academic achievement.Abstrak:Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menjawab dua masalah krusial dalam dunia pendidikan, khususnya school refusal pada siswa Madrasah Ibtidaiyah. Pertama, untuk mengungkapkan alasan siswa melakukan penolakan sekolah. Kedua, untuk mengungkap implikasi faktor psikologis dan akademis siswa. Dalam penelitian ini peneliti menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif untuk mendeskripsikan fenomena yang ada, baik fenomena alam maupun manipulasi manusia. Data diperoleh melalui wawancara kepada tujuh siswa Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Negeri 1 Semarang. Untuk menganalisis data, peneliti menggunakan metode non statistik dengan metode interaktif yang dikembangkan oleh Miles dan Huberman. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa siswa menolak bersekolah karena kondisi fisik seperti demam atau sakit dan kondisi psikologis seperti tidak mengerjakan PR dan di-bully. Ketidakhadiran siswa selama proses pembelajaran khususnya pelajaran Matematika mempengaruhi prestasi akademiknya.
A student’s academic and social-emotional development is increasingly jeopardized with mounting absence from school. School refusal (SR) is one type of school attendance problem (SAP) that is often ...associated with absence from school. Once established, it can sometimes be difficult to treat. To prevent established SR and associated problems, indicators of emerging SR and risk for SR should be efficiently identified and acted upon. Risk factors are often discussed in relation to SAPs generally rather than considering risk for specific types of attendance problems. Based on literature review, this paper provides an account of the likely signs and risks for emerging SR. A school-based framework is provided to support school personnel and parents in working together to identify these signs and risks. Several challenges associated with the implementation of the framework are discussed.
•Outlines the need for identification of emerging school refusal.•Proposes signs and risk factors for the emergence of school refusal.•Presents a school-based framework to support identification of early signs and risk factors.•Considers the challenges associated with implementing a school-based framework.
How to Understand School Refusal Havik, Trude; Ingul, Jo Magne
Frontiers in education (Lausanne),
09/2021, Volume:
6
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Attending school is usually seen as a precondition for academic, social, and emotional learning. However, school absenteeism is a problem in many countries and covers different types of authorized or ...unauthorized absences and a myriad of reasons. An authorized absence is when there is a satisfactory explanation for the youth’s absence, while unauthorized absence is usually understood as school attendance problems (SAPs). The main aim of this article is first to investigate define, describe, and discuss school refusal (SR) and how SR differs from other concepts of SAPs, and the secondary aim is to understand SR using different theoretical perspectives. The article outlines this aim based upon a review of international research in this field and uses the systemic integrated cognitive approach and school alienation theories to explain how SR might emerge and develop. The review indicates that SAPs involve many types, concepts, definitions, and reasons. The most frequently used concepts are school refusal behavior, truancy, school refusal, and school withdrawal. Based on the review, the article argues for a common understanding of these concepts among all stakeholders. We suggest a narrow definition of SR to enhance clarity and agreement and propose that the systemic integrated cognitive approach and school alienation theory are relevant to the understanding of SR. A common understanding among all stakeholders is the importance of identifying and intervening in specific types of SAPs. By using a systemic integrated cognitive approach and school alienation theory, identification and interventions can be targeted at an early stage of the development process of SR.
This study aimed to explore Chinese clients' experiences with family dynamic change throughout family therapy for school refusal and the interventions adolescents and their parents identified as ...useful during family therapy.
A multiperspective interpretative phenomenology analysis (IPA) was adopted. Thirty-two participants from 11 Chinese families with school-refusing adolescents were recruited after completing family therapy at the hospitals. Semistructured interviews were conducted with the families, and the transcripts were analyzed.
Four main superordinate themes emerged: reshaping healthy family boundaries, building a harmonious family atmosphere, learning to cooperate and fight against stress, and achieving individual growth.
Our analysis suggested that changes in school-refusing adolescents through family therapy consisted of multilevel factors. These factors influence the reversal of adolescents' school refusal. Some targeted interventions for Chinese adolescents who refuse school are discussed and suggested.
School attendance is an important foundational competency for children and adolescents, and school absenteeism has been linked to myriad short- and long-term negative consequences, even into ...adulthood. Many efforts have been made to conceptualize and address this population across various categories and dimensions of functioning and across multiple disciplines, resulting in both a rich literature base and a splintered view regarding this population. This article (Part 1 of 2) reviews and critiques key categorical and dimensional approaches to conceptualizing school attendance and school absenteeism, with an eye toward reconciling these approaches (Part 2 of 2) to develop a roadmap for preventative and intervention strategies, early warning systems and nimble response, global policy review, dissemination and implementation, and adaptations to future changes in education and technology. This article sets the stage for a discussion of a multidimensional, multi-tiered system of supports pyramid model as a heuristic framework for conceptualizing the manifold aspects of school attendance and school absenteeism.
Autistic children and teenagers are, on average, absent from school more than their peers. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of the research on absence from school in autistic ...learners in primary and secondary school, to help guide future research. We sifted through 4632 reports and found 42 studies with a focus on school absence and autism. We looked at how, when, and where the studies were conducted. We also summarized the results and outlined how absence was measured in the studies. Absence from school may lead to problems later in life, like incomplete education and unemployment. It is therefore important to know how common this problem is among autistic learners, what the reasons may be, and what type of support they need. The studies were from high-income countries and were mainly published in the last 10 years. Studies based on school registers from the United States and the United Kingdom clearly showed that children and teenagers with autism had higher risk of school absence than those without autism. Absence was often linked to problems with mental health or additional neurodevelopmental conditions. Several studies also showed that absence in autistic children and adolescents was related to problems in school, like bullying or lack of knowledge about autism. Support programs were only evaluated in a few studies with a small number of study participants. We conclude that more research is needed to better understand why autistic learners are absent and what they need to thrive in school.
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