A longitudinal study of a primary cohort with special reference to truancy behaviour

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This study seeks to examine truancy behaviour in a cohort of children as they move from the final year of Primary schooling through to the end of fourth year at Secondary school. -- The study is longitudinal and in two parts. Firstly truancy behaviour is examined in its historically traditional aspects by a study of the factors which have been held to characterise the truant. These factors are tested for their predictive power using the technique of Multiple Regression Analysis. -- Secondly an examination is made of teacher attitudes in the Secondary school in an attempt to test whether different outcomes, in terms of truancy, have measurable antecedents. The measuring instrument used to carry out this task is the Repertory Grid and this same instrument is used also to test some hypotheses concerning the attitudes of children towards truants and truancy. -- Definitions of truancy are flawed and in this longitudinal study all absences are recorded and examined. Traditional factors associated with truants are seen to be inadequate for the purpose of prediction of those at risk. The Secondary School is suggested as of major controller of its own outcomes by the attitudinal stance it adopts towards children through its teaching staff. -- Finally the views of children themselves, as measured by Repertory Grid, suggest the possibility that children have more allegiance to each other through the 'club' of childhood than to adult erected categories such as 'truant' or 'scholar'.

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	PDF of thesis T13614	2021-07-30	Public	Download