17433583

Rachel Heaslip

102097 Researching Teaching and Learning 2

Assignment Two: Literature Review and Data Collection

Part A: Literature Review

Topic: Effective interventions for managing student attendance

Subtopic: Pre-Service teacher’s notions on student attendance

Student attendance is an ever-present issue within schools, and there is a

continuous need to develop strategies to improve attendance and retention rates

across Australian schools. Regular attendance at schools is essential to learn and

develop quality life skills and to achieve outcomes. School staff and parents need to

work together to promote regular school attendance, as well as developing and

implementing strategies to improve and maintain the attendance and retention rates

of their students and children. A key part of understanding the importance of school

attendance is realising the impact absence has on learning and performance. The

Victorian State Government (2018), has found that students who miss one day of

school a fortnight adds up to missing 4 whole weeks of school a year, or a total of

1.5 years of school (from Kindergarten to year 12). Students with an increased

number of absent days are more inclined to face problems with understanding

literacy and numeracy concepts, as well as social capabilities and struggle to meet

educational outcomes overall (New South Wales Department of Education, 2018).

Often, missing school is normally a result of a combination of factors, which can

include issues with the person, their family, their home life, or issues at the school

(Mallett, 2015). Issues within the school could be from several different reasons, but

it is the schools staff that are responsible for intervening with absent students and

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developing effective management programs to increase and maintain attendance

rates. Whilst there is a large amount of research on the reasons for absence from

schools, there is a gap in the research into teachers and pre-service teachers’

notions on student absence. While there was no research on pre-service teacher’s

notions on student attendance, there were some studies found that looked at

strategies pre-service teachers could use to improve their classroom management

and presence as a teacher which link back to the research topic.

A summary of the literature reveals that the main contributing factors to student

absence are personal reasons, disengagement in the classroom, issues with

friendships, family issues, school culture and poor academic performance

(McConnell & Kubina, 2014; Mallett, 2015). The literature regarding student

attendance can be summarised to conclude that engagement is the key factor to

improving attendance, and includes engagement between the student, teacher, the

learning content, their peers, and their family (Banerjee, King, Orazem & Paterno,

2012; Gershenson, 2016). Improvement in engagement levels has been linked to

increased attendance, where the student is enjoying the environment and everyone

involved is working together (Gershenson, 2016).

In 2010, Auld, Belfiore and Scheeler (2010), used a multiple baseline study to look at

increasing pre-service teachers use of differential feedback to address behaviour

and classroom related issues. They concluded that using performance feedback

both during and after a task was the best way to keep students engaged in the

lesson and they noticed an increase of behaviour. The study conducted by Mallet

(2015), builds from this research, and focused on strategies that could be used to

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improve students’ attendance rates. He suggests that positive behaviour

interventions are a strong tool for all teachers to use when addressing students with

known behaviour and attendance problems. The model requires a proactive

approach and continuous follow up, but has proven to be rewarding, with cases

showing improved behaviour, improved academic achievement and improved and

maintained attendance rates (p.342). The two studies, provide an insight to effective

attendance management strategies, and provide a foundation for further research to

be performed, as no research currently addresses pre-service teachers and their

notions and management plans towards student attendance.

Relating to the two behaviour intervention studies (Auld et al., 2010; Mallet, 2015),

McConnell and Kubina (2014), conducted a review of literature based around the

topic ‘can family involvement improve public school students’ attendance’. The

reviewed literature claims that family issues are the main reasons for students

skipping school (p.249). McConnell and Kubina refer to positive reinforcement and

behaviour management strategies, and while they agree with the claims of the

previous studies, they also state that there are limitations within this model that

teachers and parents need to be aware of, such as using positive and negative

reinforcement at the correct time and in the right context, and knowing how to

address situations (p.250). They conclude by suggesting that teachers and parents

work together to build a supportive network for the student, and make sure they are

being praised and disciplined at the right timings. By implementing this team

approach, students are likely to engage in learning activities and social contexts, by

attending school regularly. This model is a realistic approach to supporting students,

but again could be improved by focusing research on teachers’ perspectives.

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Another suggestion towards improving attendance can be shown in the study by

Banerjee et al. (2012). They looked at the relationship and effect of teacher

attendance on student attendance. Initially, they questioned the reasons as to why

teachers were recording higher numbers of absent days than the average, but

narrowed in their focus to looking at how their absence effects students. They

concluded that student attendance was intimately entwined with teacher attendance,

and that they “base their own attendance decision on the predicted attendance of the

other” (p.573). They also highlighted the link between student performance and

teacher performance, stating that both are again reliant on the other to succeed.

These findings are supported through the research of Gershenson (2016), who

looked at teacher effectiveness and the impact on behaviour and student

attendance. Gershenson performed a quantitative study on the effects of teachers on

student attendance and concluded that the relationship is dependent of one another.

Gershenson also estimated that the more experience a teacher has, the more

effective they are at reducing student absences (p.141), but does not expand on how

or why he estimates this, highlighting another gap in the research.

A recent study by Finning, Harvey, Moore, Ford, Davis & Waite (2018), used focus

groups to collect data on teachers’ experiences with student attendance problems

and interventions to address them (p.220). They explained that one intervention

does not work for all students, and teachers need to be flexible in their

understanding of and approach to students’ issues. Their experiment showed

inconsistent findings, as the focus groups had students who were absent on multiple

days, and varying situations. They concluded with similar findings to the previous

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studies, that interventions need to be a team approach, and should involve several

people involved in the student’s lives.

In reviewing current literature, there is a need for further research on the topic of pre-

service teacher’s notions towards student attendance. Whilst the current research

provides strategies for teachers to improve student attendance, there is no research

on their or pre-service teacher’s thoughts towards attendance and how it can be

improved and retained.

References:

Auld, R., Belfiore, P., & Scheeler, M. (2010). Increasing pre-service teachers’ use of

differential reinforcement: Effects of performance feedback on consequences for

student behaviour. Journal of Behavioural Education, 19(2), 169-183. doi:

10.1007/s10864-010-9107-4

Banerjee, R., King, E., Orazem, P., & Paterno, E. (2012). Student and teacher

attendance: The role of shared goods in reducing absenteeism. Economics of

Education Review, 31(5), 563-574. doi: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2012.04.002

Finning, K., Harvey, K., Moore, D., Ford, T., Davis, B., & Waite, P. (2018).

Secondary school educational practitioners’ experiences of school attendance

problems and interventions to address them: A qualitative study. Emotional and

Behavioural Difficulties, 23(2), 213-225. doi: 10.1080/13632752.2017.1414442

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Gershenson, S. (2016). Linking teacher quality, student attendance, and student

achievement. Education Finance and Policy, 11(2), 125-149. doi:

10.1162/edfp_a_00180

New South Wales Department of Education. (2018). Attendance, behaviour and

engagement. Retrieved from: https://education.nsw.gov.au/student-

wellbeing/attendance-behaviour-and-engagement/school-attendance

Mallett, C. (2015). Truancy: It’s not about skipping school. Child and Adolescent

Social Work Journal, 33(4), 337-347. doi: 10.1007/s10560-015-0433-1

McConnell, B., & Kubina, R. (2014). Connecting with families to improve students’

school attendance: A review of the literature. Preventing School Failure: Alternative

Education For Children And Youth, 58(4), 249-256. doi:

10.1080/1045988x.2013.821649

Victoria State Government. (2018). Attendance. Retrieved from:

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/parents/behaviour/Pages/attendance.aspx

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Part B: Data Collection Protocol

Pre- Service teacher’s notions on attendance and how to improve it

Please answer the questions below by either ticking an answer, or writing your
answer in the space provided.
Feel free to refer to your observation notes to assist in remembering facts and
events.

1. How important do you Very Less Not

think student important Important So- so Important important
attendance at school O O O O O
is?

2. How important do you Very Less Not

think teacher important Important So- so Important important
attendance at school O O O O O
is?

3. Explain your reasoning

for the above ratings.

4. What were the student

attendance rates for
your school?

5. Do you think students

at your school care
about their
attendance?

6. How many students in

your practical
experience were
absent for more than 2
days in the time you
were there?

7. How many of these

students had valid
reasons know to staff?

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8. What was the highest

number of absences in
a class you had on
one day?

9. How many students

had explanations for
their absences when
they returned to
school?

10. Did your school have a

policy on attendance?

11. If so, what was it?

12. Was the policy

followed and
implemented
correctly?

13. What do you think the

main reasons are for
students missing
school?

14. How do you think

attendance at school
could be improved?

15. Can you suggest any

strategies that could
be implemented in
schools to improve
attendance rates?

16. Any further comments

about attendance

Thank you for your participation in the questionnaire. Your time and answers are
greatly appreciated, and will be of great use.

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Dear Potential Participant:

I am working on a project titled ‘Effective interventions for managing student attendance’ for
the class, ‘Researching Teaching and Learning 2,’ at Western Sydney University. As part of
the project, I am collecting information to help inform the design of a teacher research
proposal. I am conducting a survey on the subtopic: ‘Pre-service teachers notions on
student attendance’, and would like to learn from your experiences of teaching and being in
school settings, what your thoughts and ideas about student attendance include, and
strategies we could employ to improve and maintain attendance.

By signing this form, I acknowledge that:

 I have read the project information and have been given the opportunity to discuss
the information and my involvement in the project with the researcher/s.
 The procedures required for the project and the time involved have been explained to
me, and any questions I have about the project have been answered to my
satisfaction.
 I consent to my survey/ questionnaire answers being used for data collection
purposes.
 I understand that my involvement is confidential and that the information gained
during this data collection experience will only be reported within the confines of the
‘Researching Teaching and Learning 2’ unit, and that all personal details will be de-
identified from the data.
 I understand that I can withdraw from the project at any time, without affecting my
relationship with the researcher/s, now or in the future.

By signing below, I acknowledge that I am 18 years of age or older, or I am a full-time

university student who is 17 years old.

Signed: __________________________________
Name: __________________________________
Date: __________________________________

By signing below, I acknowledge that I am the legal guardian of a person who is 16 or 17

years old, and provide my consent for the person’s participation.

Signed: __________________________________
Name: __________________________________
Date: __________________________________

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Part C: Data Collection Protocol Explanation

The data collection protocol is aimed at surveying pre-service teachers who are

beginning their second practical experience. Pre-service teachers are the target

market because they can reflect on their practical experiences to appropriately

answer the questions. Pre-service teachers will be asked to keep a small log of their

observations and thoughts about student attendance during their practical

experience, including strategies implemented by the school, and their effectiveness.

Pre-service teachers are encouraged to keep an open mind when answering the

questions and to include as much qualitative feedback as they can.

The chosen data protocol uses a descriptive survey/ questionnaire method, which

combines both qualitative (open ended questions) and quantitative (rating scale)

approaches to assess pre-service teachers’ thoughts and observations on

attendance and their notions on strategies that could be implemented to improve and

maintain attendance. The survey was developed after the literature review was

conducted, and focuses on a gap that has been highlighted in the research. The

quantitative elements of the survey are included to grasp an understanding of pre-

service teachers’ initial thoughts about the importance of attendance and the

qualitative elements are included to gather data about what the pre-service teachers

observed on their practical experiences and what their ideas and suggestions are to

improve attendance rates (Morales, Abulon, Soriano, David, Hermosisima &

Gerundio, 2016).

The aim of the survey/ questionnaire is to achieve an understanding and detailed

analysis to either support or disprove the identified gaps in the reviewed literature.

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The first part of the survey focuses on gathering simple, numeric data from each

participant which will be analysed into statistics. This is achieved through quantitative

closed end questions.

The second part of the questionnaire uses open ended questions, and focuses on

the personal opinions of the respondent to attain necessary data on attendance from

a pre-service teacher’s perspective (Kintzer, 1977). The respondents are

encouraged to refer to their observation notes and practical experiences when

answering the questions, allowing them to answer honestly and accurately, ensuring

their responses are associated with the primary questions that resulted from

reviewing the literature (Davis, Clayton & Broome, 2017).

During construction of the data collection protocol, the informed consent model was

used as the platform to ensure that every respondent would be aware of the purpose

of the study and to make sure they agreed to their information being used for that

research purpose only (Mandal & Parija, 2014). The Western Sydney University

Consent form will be employed as the way to gain informed consent from all

participants. The collected data will be compared with other sets of data, which are

all focused on the action research topic: effective interventions for managing student

attendance.

The questions presented in the survey/ questionnaire are reflective of the gaps

identified in conducting the literature review. The mixed method data collection

encourages the participating pre-service teachers to share their opinions about

student attendance and ways to improve it, and links back to the focus topic of

effective interventions for managing student attendance.

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References:

Davis, J., Clayton, C. & Broome, J. (2017). Thinking like researchers: Action

research and its impact on novice teachers’ thinking. Educational Action

Research, 26(1), 59-74. doi: 10.1080/09650792.2017.1284012

Kintzer, F. (1977). Advantages of open-response questions in survey

research. Community Junior College Research Quarterly, 2(1), 37-46. doi:

10.1080/03616975.1977.10588098

Mandal, J., & Parija, S. C. (2014). Informed consent and research. Tropical

parasitology, 4(2), 78-79. doi: 10.4103/2229-5070.138533

Morales, M., Abulon, E., Soriano, P., David, A., Hermosisima, V. & Gerundio M.

(2016). Examining teachers’ conception of and needs on action research. Issues in

Educational Research, 26(3), 464-489. Retrieved from:

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&si

d=b3655772-c802-480f-b931-13bc9bc0df9c%40sessionmgr104

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