Towards a typology of occasional truancy: an operationalisation study of occasional truancy in secondary education in Flanders
Abstract
The negative consequences of truancy for individuals, schools, communities and society in the short and long term are well documented. However, empirical research on truancy often takes only the frequency of the absence into account. As a consequence, truancy research has been dominated by the comparison of characteristics of truants with characteristics of non-truants. The purpose of the present study is to provide insight into the conceptual understanding of truancy by exploring different types of truant behaviour. Latent profile analysis was used to examine different types of truancy by using a nationally representative sample of 739 truants (age 14–21) in secondary education in Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium). Six key indicators were employed to identify latent classes: the duration of the absence, the parental knowledge of the absence, the location of the absence, individual vs. group absence, the time of the decision to go truant and the premeditated nature of the absence. Three classes of truant youth were identified: homestayers, traditional truants, and condoned social truants. In addition, multinomial regression revealed social differences between the three truancy classes. Our findings suggest that truant behaviour consists of interrelated forms of truancy that have specific social characteristics. In the discussion we demonstrate how studying different forms of truants can be important for understanding how truant behaviour can be identified and prevented.
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The spectrum can be a useful heuristic for understanding the full scope of school attendance and its problems across jurisdictions.
“Still, researchers commonly examine school attendance problems other than full absenteeism, clinicians and others must initially grapple with the exterior complexity of this population, and the spectrum can be a useful heuristic for understanding the full scope of school attendance and its problems across jurisdictions (Keppens and Spruyt, 2017; Kearney, 2019; Wegmann and Smith, 2019).”
From Reconciling Contemporary Approaches to School Attendance and School Absenteeism: Toward Promotion and Nimble Response, Global Policy Review and Implementation, and Future Adaptability (Part 1) (2019) · cites this paper as Keppens and Spruyt, 2017
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- Authors
- Keppens, G., & Spruyt, B.
- Affiliations
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE)
- Corresponding author
- Keppens, Gil
- Venue
- Research Papers in Education
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2016-01-25
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 121-135
- ISSN
- 0267-1522 (ISSN-L)
- 1470-1146
- OpenAlex
- W2328338991
- Cited by
- 29
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 3
- FWCI
- 19.24
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Research Papers in Education (publishedVersion)
- VUBIR (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Department for Education and Training Flanders (OBPWO11-03)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Youth Substance Use and School Attendance
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Crime Patterns and Interventions
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Youth Education and Societal Dynamics
- Keywords
- secondary education, school absenteeism, truancy prevention, Flanders
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