Abstract
M.Ed.
The problem of truancy is causing a great deal of concern
for the communities, for the state, for the family and for
the school. The number of students who deliberately stay
away from school on certain occasions is on the increase.
The fact that absenteeism and truancy have become
significant predictors of problem behaviour, troublesomeness
and sometimes delinquency in secondary schools, makes it
even more vital that the problem of truancy needs to be
addressed with the urgency that it deserves.
Up to now, very little is known about the contribution made
by the curriculum content towards truancy. The structure of
the curriculum, methods of instruction, the timetable,
examination pressures and extramural activities are some of
the possible causes of truancy. School rules, teacher
attitude and teacher expectations are also among some of the
contributing factors to absenteeism.
The purpose of this research, therefore, is to attempt to
find out if the curriculum content plays any part in curbing
the problem of truancy, and to ascertain if there is a
possible contribution of the curriculum content towards
truancy. It is also one of the fundamental aims of this
survey to learn more about the value orientations of
children who do not attend school regularly and to establish
curriculum changes that might be needed to alleviate the
problem of truancy.
In order to investigate the possible contributions made by
the curriculum content, and the perceptions of black truants
of their schooling, a two-part methodology was devised.
In the first place, a questionnaire was formulated and a
pilot study was conducted at a school that was not part of
the target group. A survey was subsequently carried out at
three Mamelodi high schools.
The data from the questionnaire were analysed using the
first and second order factor analyses, and even a
discriminate analysis was applied on the data. The following format has been used in the presentation of
the results. First, the findings from the literature study
are discussed, and then results obtained from the empirical
study are also outlined.
From the literature study it was found that the content of
the curriculum does not satisfy the needs of the individual
student and can therefore lead to truancy. The schools'
system such as school rules, timetables, language and
methods of instruction sometimes demotivate students from
attending school regularly. Teachers and family members also
play a role in discouraging students from seeing any value
in attending school.
The following statistically significant differences were
found after the analysis of the respondents' estimates of
the applicability of the statements in the literature study
as reflected in the questionnaire. If students had a choice,
more truants than non-truants would stay away from school.
More truants find school and school activities less
interesting and most do not know what they want to do with
their lives after completing school. More truants than nontruants
find school irrelevant and school subjects less
important and of less value to their future aspirations.
It is against this background that one can conclude that
indeed the school curriculum content does not help much in
curbing the problem of truancy.