A study causes and influencing factors of truancy and pre-mature school leaving in Handeni District
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Date
1983
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Publisher
University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
The study was on the problem of truancy and dropout in Handeni District. The purposes of the study were two, first to establish the magnitude of truancy and dropout rates, and second, to investigate the variables influencing the problem across socio-economic, religions, geographical, teacher, classroom, equipment and material dimensions. Four hypotheses were advanced. They were; truancy and dropout rates are higher in rural schools than in urban schools. Second, truancy and dropout rates are high among families and areas which value opportunity cost of child labour. Third, truancy and dropout rates are likely to be higher among Muslims than other denominations; fourth, schools with shortage of teachers, classrooms, equipment and materials will show high rates of truancy and dropout. Four methods were used in collecting the data, namely: questionnaires, documentary review, personal interviews and field observations. The populations which was used to produce the data were; four district education officials, our ward education officials, five religious leaders, two party officials, one hundred and sixteen (116) pupils and twenty head teachers, ten urban and ten rural schools were surveyed on the basis of having high truancy and dropout rates. Tally sheet method was used to process the data and parentages were calculated. The results of the study suggest that truancy and dropout as given be attendance were high. Geographically, truancy was higher in urban schools than in rural schools, while dropout rate in urban schools was just as high as in rural schools. The results also suggest that the number of truants and dropout whose parents were peasant farmers was higher than petty businessmen and employees put together. On religious influence the problem was more predominant among Muslims than other denominations. The study further suggests that schools with acute shortage of teachers, classrooms, equipment and material had high rate of truancy.
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Keywords
Truancy, Absenteeism (Labor), Pre-mature school leaving, Handeni, Tanzania (district)
Citation
Hatibu, I. S. (1983) A study of causes and influencing factors of truancy and pre-mature school leaving in Handeni District, Masters dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam. Available at (http://41.86.178.3/internetserver3.1.2/detail.aspx)