TDNet Discover

The purpose of this quantitative study, using a correlational research design approach, was to investigate the correlation between achievement and chronic absenteeism for students in fourth through sixth grades enrolled in a public Tennessee school system based in the Eastern region during the 2022-2023 school year. Understanding the potential impact absenteeism played on achievement was needed to enforce or potentially develop interventions to help mitigate the ongoing issue of chronic absenteeism that had been on the rise. The theoretical framework used was Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory. The dataset came from “Tennessee State Report Card 2022-2023” information which is located on the TN Department of Education website. The instruments used were the Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient (r) and coefficient of multiple correlation. A one-way ANOVA test was conducted to examine the grade-level achievement scores in correlation to chronic absenteeism. Students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged, and English Learners were among the most negatively impacted. Out of grades fourth through sixth, fifth grade students had the lowest achievement percentage and a chronic absenteeism average of 8.7%. The results underscored the need for additional research in the future as well as possible intervention to rectify the deficit harming students most in need. A focus on students economically disadvantaged, English Learners, and those with disabilities would remedy the current gap present in overall achievement on standardized testing and the high percentage of chronically absent. The research questions were: “RQ1: What is the relationship between chronic absenteeism and achievement among the following variables: socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, language, and students with disabilities? RQ2: To what extent does chronic absenteeism and student achievement vary by grade-level?”