Buckinghamshire Chilterns UNIVERSITY COLLEGE The effectiveness of an action research approach designed to improve student attendance Dr. Maria Konstantaki School of Sport, Leisure & Travel Faculty of Enterprise & Innovation

Buckinghamshire Chilterns UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Introduction  Attendance problematic in HE  Lack of attendance leads to:  loss of focus  absenteeism  disengagement and  potential withdrawal from a programme of study (Harvey et al 2006)

Buckinghamshire Chilterns UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Introduction  Regular attendance leads to improved academic performance (Khan et al. 2003; Van Berkel & Schmidt 2000; Shimoff & Catania 2001)  Attendance does not lead to improved academic performance in:  low achievers and students with learning handicaps (Dhaliwal 2003)  students following a pattern of selective attendance (Seagraves et al. 2004)

Buckinghamshire Chilterns UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Action Research  An investigation of a problematic area with the intention to improve/gain insight into a process, take action or implement change (Beaty 1998)  Problems:  Can a lecturer intervene to improve student attendance?  What are the reasons for non-attendance?

Buckinghamshire Chilterns UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Study Rationale  The purpose of this study was to:  Investigate student attendance patterns  Record the reasons for non-attendance  Explore the effectiveness of an intervention designed to improve student attendance

Buckinghamshire Chilterns UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Methods  86 student participants (Male: n=62; Female, n=24; mean ± SD: age: 21 ± 2.0 years).  Participants classified into two groups:  Group A: students attending seminars (n=49)  Group B: students attending practical sessions (n=37)  Attendance monitored using a paper register for six weeks in 2 nd semester  Student attendance classified as:  ‘Excellent’ (6/6)  ‘Very good’ (5/6)  ‘Good’ (4/6)  ‘Satisfactory’ (3/6)  ‘Poor’ (2 or less/6).

Buckinghamshire Chilterns UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Intervention Procedure  ‘Attendance letter’ sent by lecturer to student  Letter outlined attendance category with commendation (good attendance) or a recommendation to attend more classes (poor attendance) in the second half of the semester.  Attendance was recorded for six weeks in the second half of the semester

Buckinghamshire Chilterns UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Diagram of action research study Stage 1 Attendance monitoring Score out of six Classification to attendance category Stage 2 Intervention letter Stage 3 Attendance monitoring for 6 weeks Score out of six Focus group discussion and results analysis

Results

Buckinghamshire Chilterns UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

Buckinghamshire Chilterns UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Discussion  Students in problematic attendance areas in both groups seemed to benefit from the intervention letter  89% of students stated that the ‘intervention letter’ was evidence that the lecturer cares about their attendance  Attendance to practical sessions that are directly linked to assessment is higher than attendance to non-linked to assessment sessions

Buckinghamshire Chilterns UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Discussion  Time of session, illness and work commitments were the main reasons for non-attendance  Findings comparable to those stated by Hughes (2005) for nursing students

Buckinghamshire Chilterns UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Factors to consider  Letter confidentiality  Non-compulsory institutional policy and attendance monitoring may contradict each other  Selective attendance seems to be the case for some students, irrespective of lecturer’s intervention  Sessions linked to assessment may act as motivating tool to increase attendance

Buckinghamshire Chilterns UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Conclusion 1.Students need to feel that the lecturer ‘cares’ about their attendance 2.Intervention may act as motivational tool to improve attendance in problematic attendance categories and maintain attendance at high levels 3.Approach is effective, but there is a lot of admin attached to it!

Buckinghamshire Chilterns UNIVERSITY COLLEGE References  Beaty L. (1998). The professional development of teachers in higher education: structures, methods and responsibilities. Innovations in Education & Training International, 35 (2):  Dhaliwal U. (2003). Absenteeism and under-achievement in final year medical students. National Medical Journal of India, 16,  Hughes, S J.(2005). Student attendance during college-based lectures: a pilot study. Nursing Standard, 19(47):41-49  Khan H., Khattak A.M., Mahsud I., Munir A., Ali S., Khan M.H., Saleem, M. Shah S.H. (2003). Impact of class attendance upon examination results of students in basic medical sciences. Journal of Ayub Medical College,15(2):56-58  Shimoff E., Catania C.A. (2001). Effects of recording attendance on grades in Introductory Psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 28(3):  van Berkel H., Schmidt H. (2005). On the additional value of lectures in a problem-based curriculum. Education for Health, 18(1):45-61