The Motivation of Students to Go to Class - Essay Example

Barlow (2011) defines absenteeism as a failure to regularly attend timetabled sessions such as seminars, lectures, and practical or laboratory classes. In the UK, research has shown that student non-attendance at lectures and seminars is an area of concern (Morgan 2001). Thomas (2008) found that students who attained first-class grades also had the highest attendance rates. Newman-Ford et al. (2008) also found a strong positive relationship between attendance and performance across 22 compulsory modules in four-degree schemes.

In addition, Clark and Gill (2010) examined the relationship between attendance and performance, in a study consisting of 304 students. The study shows a very high attendance is significantly associated with an improvement in performance. Moreover, a study by Woodfield, Jessop, and Mcmillan (2006) revealed that men are more likely to be absent from classes than women, with the worst offenders being males with the highest levels of prior academic achievement. This establishes the need to investigate the possible relationship between gender and class attendance towards a better understanding of performance by gender and this forms the basis of the study.

It is understood that Undergraduates play truant mainly because they couldn’t bear listening to teachers in class. As time passes, they don’t know what they learn. They don’t have future directions, so they play truant, thus forming a vicious cycle. Barlow (2011)The main focus is the gender difference in student attendance rates, and the potential reasons why differential attendance rates may occur between male and female students, and whether they denote different academic achievement levels.

The study is only limited to the students within the University XXXXX, where the study will focus on the student. The focus will also be laid on the 3rd Year students for the ease of administration of interview schedules. The study scope will be the most convenient to the researcher based on the complexity of the composition of the students.