Absenteeism (Labor)

The purpose of this non-experimental archival study was to determine if student mathematics in middle and high schools could be predicted by teacher absenteeism. Additional relationships, such as teacher absenteeism, selected attributes and student achievement; teacher absenteeism, school schedule and student achievement were investigated. This archival study was conducted in Broward County Public Schools, Florida, for the 2001--2002 school year and included 722 mathematics classes with their teachers in eighth and tenth grades. The study addressed 3 research questions. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to test each hypothesis. All statistical tests were performed at the .05 level of statistical significance. The following conclusions were reached regarding teacher absenteeism and student achievement: (1) Teacher absenteeism, beyond 2 days, has a small negative effect on achievement test scores, p = .007. (2) Mathematics background in elementary and middle school has a large positive effect on achievement test scores, p < .001. (3) Teacher attributes, except gender, are not linked to achievement test scores. The interaction between male teachers and teacher absenteeism has a small negative effect for more than 2 days absent, p = .02. (4) School schedule is not linked to achievement test scores. Further research is needed on the effect of absenteeism on student achievement, the effect of absenteeism on other student outcomes, and the effect of teacher gender on student achievement.

This study described the present condition of absence control programs within the sixty-seven school districts of the State of Florida. It was initiated when it became evident that the literature of educational administration was sparse in reference to current studies involving the effects of absence control strategies on school board personnel. This lack of reference in the literature of educational administration was contrasted with the wealth of information within the field of business administration. The question arose as to the actual state of existing absence control programs within the educational domain. This study found that few absence control programs existed within the Florida school districts. Little program innovation was evident, and even the most basic components of an effective absence control program were lacking. The Florida school districts were not consistent in their tendencies to maintain written attendance policies or standard procedures for reviewing absences. They did not conduct annual absentee studies nor create a list of chronically absent employees. Employee assistance programs like absentee counseling and alcoholic rehabilitation were virtually non-existent. The sparcity of educational research in the review of the literature was consistent with the scarcity of absence control programs within the Florida educational system.