Incentive Programs to Reduce Middle School Truancy

Introduction and Background

Truancy refers to any unexcused absence from school. Each state enacts its own school attendance laws and determines at what age a child is required to begin schooling, when a child can legally drop out of school, and the number of unexcused absences before a student is considered legally truant (NCSE, n.d.). Truancy adversely affects the student, resulting in lower grades and decreased chances for success in life. Truancy applies only to children who are of legal age for compulsory school attendance.

Reducing truancy is an objective of every school in the nation. As pressure increases to raise standardized test scores, the need to reduce truancy among all grade levels increases as well. Truancy has a negative impact on students, the school, and on the overall performance of the educational system of the country. Traditionally, truancy has been handled through negative consequences and the involvement of the criminal justice system. The effectiveness of these methods is marginal, at best. This study explores the use of positive reinforcement as an effective means of reducing truancy in the school system.

This research examines the use of positive reinforcement through items that can be earned through attendance and participation in the school system. This type of rewards system represents a new approach to the problem of truancy. The use of positive rather than negative reinforcement represents a paradigm shift in methodology for dealing with the truancy problem. This study explores the effectiveness of a rewards and points system in reducing truancy among middle school students.

Background of the Study

One of the key problems that plagues the study of truancy is a lack of statistical evidence on a national level (NCSE, n.d.). Data from Wisconsin suggests that as many as 1.6% of all students were absent on any given single day (NCSE, n.d.). According to national statistics, students who experienced behavioral problems were often sent to see a guidance counselor. Schools tended to employ one guidance counselor for every 284–335 students (NCES, 2004), which can mean a heavy caseload for school counselors.

Studies regarding court cases for truancy based on gender found that boys were only slightly more likely to be sent to court for truancy than girls. Of the petitioned cases from 1990–1999, 54% were boys and 46% were girls (Puzzanchera, 2003). Gender differences were of little significance in the truancy issue.

Truancy is not the end of the problem, but the beginning. Truancy has been linked to several undesirable and much more serious behaviors, including criminal activity, social isolation, educational failure, dropout, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, low self-esteem, and troubled family relationships (Office of the Surgeon General, 2001; Center for Mental Health Services, 2001). These problems have a significant impact on society—not only while the child is in school, but also after the child leaves school. Truancy impacts a young person's ability to find employment and become a productive member of society. Truancy has a high social cost, much of which is difficult to measure in concrete terms; however, the impact on society is real and significant.

Truancy is a significant problem for schools and communities. The goal is to prevent truancy before it becomes deeply problematic. A critical need exists to find ways to combat truancy and its impact on society. A study involving 28 communities found that truancy was a good predictor of middle school drug use. The same study found that truant eighth graders were more likely to smoke marijuana than those who attended school regularly (Halfors et al., 2002). This finding was a key reason for the selection of middle school students for participation in the proposed study.

There are many statistics missing from studies regarding truancy. For instance, no representative national numbers appear to exist, largely because many schools do not collect these statistics. Related statistics indicate that those who do not graduate from high school have reduced chances for employment and a higher likelihood of committing a crime compared with those who hold a high school diploma or GED (Harlow, 2003). Reducing truancy is therefore an important issue with high social costs at stake.

Many factors have been found to be associated with truancy. These include inconsistency in the application of attendance policies, policies that "push out" students with poor performance, a lack of parental notification of absences, safety issues, a poor school atmosphere, and the inability to identify special educational needs (NCSE, n.d.). Several familial factors have also been identified. These include family health or financial matters that pressure the student to care for others or hold a job. Abuse or neglect, teen pregnancy, safety issues near a child's home or on the way to and from school, parental substance abuse, and negative role models all contribute to truancy among students (NCSE, n.d.).

As one can see, many factors may contribute to school truancy. Some arise from school, and others arise from the home. Regardless of where the issues originate, the resulting truancy has negative consequences for the community and for the students themselves. Reducing truancy rates should be a priority for every school system in every community.

Statement of the Problem

Truancy poses a significant societal problem and threatens the future well-being of youth. In the past, methods intended to resolve truancy have had little impact on its overall rate. This study examines a new approach to the problem based on positive reinforcement rather than punishment.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to examine a new, positive approach to reducing truancy levels among middle school students.

Research Questions

This study explores a new approach to resolving high rates of truancy among middle school students. In addition to this central issue, it also explores the topic of truancy in greater depth. It attempts to fill in many missing gaps in research regarding truancy. The question of a lack of statistical records on truancy will be explored by asking: "What are the real truancy numbers in the schools chosen for study?"

The literature review revealed that many factors contribute to truancy rates, both at school and at home. Because this research is solution-based, the study remains focused on a single goal: discovering a way to reduce truancy. The study will explore the question, "What factors influence the success or failure of a positive reinforcement program designed to decrease truancy rates?" In doing so, the research will answer why and how the method affects truancy rates.

The study also focuses on the motivation of students to attend school, examining the program's ability to encourage students to come to school and participate. For instance, the research examines the most effective reward schemes and their impact on producing a real reduction in truancy. The study will ask the research question, "How does the reward program affect the willingness and motivation of students to attend school?"

Taking these research questions into consideration, the following hypotheses will be used to determine the success or failure of the program:

H1: The positive reinforcement program proposed in this research will result in a statistically significant decrease in truancy when compared to data collected prior to the program.

H01: The positive reinforcement program proposed in this research will not result in a statistically significant decrease in truancy when compared to data collected prior to the program.

This single hypothesis will serve as the unifying element for the research study and will be supported by the research questions to provide a deeper understanding of the issues at hand.

Study Variables

This study will utilize a quantitative research design consisting of statistical measures both prior to treatment and after treatment has been applied. Truancy rates for middle school students are expected to be dependent upon student response to an incentive program designed to encourage school attendance. The dependent variable is the truancy rate for students over the test period. The independent variable is positive reinforcement as represented by the incentive program. The study will examine increases or decreases in overall attendance rates before and after the incentive program has been in effect for at least half of the school year.

Rationale, Relevance, and Significance

This study is proposed as the result of a literature review suggesting that past methods for curtailing truancy relied on negative consequences as key motivators. This research takes a more positive approach to motivating students to attend school. The ultimate goal is to reduce the overall truancy rate among middle school students.

This is a much-needed study in the field of educational administration. It will provide school counselors and administrators a new approach to resolving the truancy problem and will be of use to law enforcement officials who wish to provide an alternative to the punishment-based systems that have prevailed in the past.

This study has significant relevance to other scholars in this field. It will examine a new way of thinking about attendance and about how to reduce truancy, straying from traditional methods and providing insight into a new direction for the field. The old, punishment-based systems are only marginally effective, yet no one has systematically tested a more positive approach to the problem. Positive reinforcement is a prominent technique in many related disciplines, and people are more likely to be motivated by working toward a goal than by avoiding negative consequences.

Practitioners in the field of education will be able to use this information to devise programs that get results. School counselors can use the program developed as part of this study to address truancy issues. The scholarly community will be able to use this research as a springboard into a new paradigm regarding truancy. Researchers could test various reward methods, apply the program to different age and demographic groups, or test its efficacy against punishment-based forms of truancy intervention.

There are many gaps in research regarding truancy. An examination of the topic leads to the conclusion that current methods for dealing with the problem are not based on recent research on human motivation. The current system—relying on the threat of criminal justice involvement and punishment—has changed little in recent years. Recent research suggests that punishment-based systems may be ineffective in reducing many types of unwanted behavior, including truancy. This research will give school personnel and law enforcement professionals new tools for addressing the growing problem of truancy in public schools and will draw on techniques from other fields that have successfully applied positive reinforcement to behavior modification.

Nature of the Study

This study will be a quantitative study addressing the issue of school truancy, presenting a new perspective on the problem and various means to reduce it. The study will use a comparative research method that assesses truancy levels before the program is applied to the test population and after application of the test procedure. Because many schools do not track truancy numbers in their student populations, the study will first determine baseline truancy levels before the test condition is applied.

Definition of Terms

Local Education Administration (LEA) — refers to the school district in which the study will be conducted.

Middle School Student — narrowly defined to include only those students currently enrolled in grades 7–8 for the current school year.

School Administrators — refers to those persons in charge of making macro-level policy changes on a district-wide level. It does not include principals of a specific grade level.

School Counselor — the person or persons responsible for administering counseling to students who have been truant. Many school systems use different nomenclature for this role; they may be called an academic advisor, school psychologist, sociologist, or other titles. Their position is defined in this study by the role they perform rather than their formal title.

Truancy — There are many aspects to truancy that make it a difficult term to define. Although every state in the U.S. has enacted compulsory school attendance laws, many differences exist in what constitutes school attendance and the various rules that govern it. For instance, in Michigan, the age of compulsory school attendance is 6–16 (Michigan Department of Education, 2002), while Alabama was considering raising the compulsory school attendance age to 17 or 18 (Goymer, 2007). These differences affect the definition of truancy from one state to another. For the purposes of this study, a uniform definition of truancy will mean an unexcused absence from school without a valid medical excuse presented within the required time period.

Assumptions and Limitations

Differences in the definition of truancy and in state and local attendance regulations will affect the ability to apply the results of the study to other situations. The exact policies and definitions used by the school district to be tested will have to be included as part of the study design. It will be assumed that the rules and policies that apply to truancy in the chosen school district will affect the outcome of the study.

One of the external problems that may affect the reliability of the study is the consistent application of rules. It will be assumed that administration and staff members are following the rules and interpreting them consistently. Although inconsistency may be an underlying problem, there is no concrete way to measure it. It will be assumed that school staff apply the rules in a fair and equitable manner and with the best interests of students at heart.

Conditions may also exist within the demographics or culture of the community that affect the success or failure of the new model. For instance, truancy in poor school districts may differ from that in rural school districts, and the reasons for truancy may also differ. Factors such as bullying, family culture, and other demographic factors affect the truancy rate within a given school district. These issues will be addressed via a survey given to the middle school population of the chosen school districts.

Because many of the factors that could affect the outcome of the study cannot be controlled by the researcher, a design had to be devised that would limit their impact on the study results. A comparison between different school districts would not yield valid results due to the presence of an extreme number of external variables. Therefore, it was decided that comparisons needed to be made within the same school district, which was the key reason for choosing a pre-condition/post-condition research methodology.

In order to make the results more broadly applicable, the same study will be repeated in five different school districts and the results compared between them. This will provide the ability to apply the results both within each school district and to other school districts regardless of community culture.

Organization of the Remainder of the Study

Chapter One discussed the background of the problem, examined the scope and extent of truancy, and explored the necessity of finding new methods for reducing school truancy. It discussed the impact of confounding variables and defined the key terms to be used in the research study.

Chapter Two consists of the literature review. This chapter examines the existing body of research concerning truancy and methods to reduce it in many school settings. It examines the theoretical framework that is the basis for the research study and current practice within the field. It explores bridging the gaps and controversies within the field of study, draws in other theories that relate to truancy, and examines motivational theory as well as the theoretical underpinnings of current attendance policy. The final task of Chapter Two is to summarize the existing body of research into a cohesive whole that can be applied to the proposed reward program.

Chapter Three outlines the research methodology that will be used to study the research topic. It examines the researcher's philosophy and the connection between theory and its application to the research design. It sets forth the parameters of the research study, the limitations of the study, data collection and analysis procedures, and pilot testing procedures.