Truancy and its Influence on Students’ Learning in Dormaa Senior High School

The study instigated the incidence of truancy among students and its influence on learning in the Dormaa Senior High School. A descriptive survey design was adopted in carrying out the study. The study population consisted of teachers, students, parents and opinion leaders in the study area. The simple random and purposive samplings were used in selecting respondents. A sample of 135, made up of 20 teachers and 100 students, 10 parents and 5 opinion leaders were selected to participate in the study. A set of questionnaires was designed and administered to the teachers and students. Documentary evidence from the class attendance register and students’ report cards were used. In the case of the parents and opinion leaders, semi-structured interview schedules were developed and used to obtain their views. Descriptive statistics were used in presenting the quantitative data. The qualitative data were also presented thematically to support the quantitative data. The study revealed that the causes of truancy can be categorized into student related, family related and school related. Both teachers and students agreed that peer pressure is one of the causes of truancy. The study also showed that truancy brings about school drop-outs and affects students academic output. It was realized that most of the students who attended classes regularly performed better than their counterparts who absented themselves from classes on a regular basis. It was recommended among other things that all stakeholders should see to it that there are qualified counselors in all second cycle schools to assist students.