Introduction
Education is one of the most important factors in the life of a child. The United States of America has clearly defined laws that help guide the education system in this country. Each state has its own laws that define the age at which a child should start going to school. However, each single day, several American students absent themselves from school without any clear reason or excuse for their absenteeism.
Truancy is a common vice in many schools, especially public schools within the United States of America. Mirriab (2009) defines truancy as an act where a student absents himself or herself from school without a valid reason for doing this. Truancy is a vice that affects the society in various fronts. Failure of a school going student to go to school is an indication that there is a problem somewhere within the society.
This is a way that demonstrates this hidden factor that needs redress. According to Gullotta (2005), truancy is a vice that should be addressed with seriousness it deserves. This scholar says that truancy in an offence in various states within the United States of America within a specific age. There is an age when a learner may not be expected to make a decision on his or her own.
During the early stages of life, a child would always prefer to be at home with their parents. They enjoy their company, and therefore, any move to separate it from the parents will be met with opposition. They will oppose the move to take them to school because it is a place they consider strange.
Myriam (2001) emphasizes this fact by saying that learning is a very difficult process that any student will consider avoiding given an opportunity, especially at early stages. The responsibility of learners at early stages to go to school is therefore, left to the parents. This research is focused on determining the risk factors of truancy among teens in the United States.
Truancy among Teens in the United States
Teens are individuals who in the age bracken of thirteen to nineteen years of age. These are basically teenagers are adolescents who are becoming aware of their personality. This is one of the most challenging age group in the life of a person. Truancy at this age is very common. According to Hess (2010), truancy among teens is a very worrying trend in the current United States.
This scholar says that it is a common phenomenon to see school going children missing school without a clear reason for that. It is important to determine the reason behind this worrying trend. Different states give different age limit where truancy can be considered as legal. Illegal truancy may be blamed mostly on the parents or the guardian who is responsible for taking care of the child.
The United States of America is one of the most attractive nations to reside in the entire world. The education system is heavily supported by the government. The government takes care of various responsibilities to ensure that American students go to school. It is therefore, worrying that a good number of students fail to go to school without valid reason. In order to address this issue, it is important to look at some of the risk factors of truancy in the United States of America.
Risk Factors of Truancy among Teens in the United States
According to Bye (2010), it is important to identify some of the risk factors of truancy among the teenagers in the United States. At this age, these individuals tend to revolt against the set rules and regulations. They find the rules set in the schools oppressive to them. They like leading a life that is free from tight control.
They will defy authority just to test the consequence of their act. These revolutionary actions will tend to affect the ability to successfully go through the education system. It is also at this stage that learners get to understand their body. These changes make some of the learners consider themselves equal to adults. This comes at ages between fourteen years and seventeen years of age (Thyer & Wodarski, 2003).
They will try to force their way out of school, and if they do not face any serious opposition against their decision, they end up quitting school at this period. These may be some of the valid reasons that explain why the level of truancy in the United States is on the rise. However, there are some factors that various scholars have identified as the leading reasons for increased truancy among the teens in the United States of America.
These are socio-economic factors that make a section of these teens more likely to drop out of school than a different section. This explains the phenomenon where the rate at which teens in public schools in this country drop out of school is higher than those in private school. The following are some of the risk factors.
School Factors
There are a number of school factors that may make students consider dropping out of school. The size of school is one such factor. When size of school is too large, it becomes very difficult t monitor actions of students. This large size will make it easy for the student to miss going to school without being noticed.
A teacher will find it difficult to trace movements of students into and out of school. In some cases, a teacher may realize the absence of a student when it is too late. Attitude of teachers and other students will also determine the level of truancy within a specific school. When teachers fail to understand special needs of specific student, such a student will easily drop out of school (Gullotta, Adams, & Ramos, 2005).
The student will consider the school environment very uncomfortable for him or her. In such cases, the student will consider dropping out of school as the best option. Other students will also determine the rate at which students drop out of school. When there is bullying from other students, a weak student will always feel that the life at school is more of a prison that should be avoided given an opportunity.
When the students also lack discipline, this will influence other students, making truancy common. The administration may also the rate of truancy among students. When the school administration is too strict and very rigid, students may find it difficult to get integrated into school system.
This is because of the difference in the socio-cultural factors of the students. In some schools, administration would consider out-of-school suspension as a form of punishment to truant students. This only complicates the matter because these students enjoy staying at home.
Family Factors
Some family factors may be considered as a risk factor in the increasing truancy among teenager students in the United States of America. Lack of parental guidance and supervision is another reason for increased truancy in the United States. Some parents are too concerned of their corporate development at the expense of their children.
They lack time to guide their children and encourage them to go to school. Others are just irresponsible, and leave their children to make decision on their own. They do not offer any form of guidance as to how the students should approach their academic life. Poverty is another reason why some students drop out of school. When a student reaches teenage, he or she becomes conscious of the immediate environment.
When the student realizes that his or her social status is way below that of fellow students, he or she will be uncomfortable staying in school. In some cases, a student may lack some of the basics needed in school (Lawrence & Hesse, 2010). This will make the student feel out of place when in school. Some students are always affected by alcoholic parents.
After taking alcohol, some parents tend to be violent. This may have direct negative consequence towards the normal running of the students. Some families do not value education. Such parents may fail to offer their students moral and material support they need to succeed in school.
Student Variables
There are some factors that may be considered as student variables. Drug and substance abuse is one of the leading reasons for student truancy in the United States. Student who abuse drugs have higher risks of dropping out of school. Some students are also affected by poor social competence. These are students who lack the capacity to socialize with the students’ community.
They find it challenging to successfully integrate into the system, increasing their possibility of dropping out of school. Some students have poor mental capacity making it difficult for them to meet academic expectations expected of them (Buikhuisen & Mednick, 2001). This makes it difficult for the students to stay successfully within school system.
Physical health of students may also affect the ability of the students to go through school system. Some of the physically challenge students lack support from various stakeholders (including parents, teachers and fellow students) while in school. They consider bowing out of school before completion of the basic education.
Conclusion
Truancy among teens in the United States of America is a worrying factor. This nation needs people who will take up responsibilities at various levels in a near future. Increased truancy in this nation is a clear indication that the nation will be forced to outsource various skills from other countries like China in a near future. This will increase the level of unemployment, and the impact on the economy will definitely be negative.
This is the risk that the government of the United States, through various government agencies, has been fighting. Some of the risk factors for truancy include family factors, school factors, economic reasons, and students’ variables. These factors will affect ability of a student to successfully go through education system. If not addressed appropriately, they can lead to truancy among the teens in this country.
References
Buikhuisen, W., & Mednick, S. A. (2001). Explaining criminal behaviour: Interdisciplinary approaches. Leiden: E.J. Brill.
Bye, L. (2010). Truancy prevention and intervention: A practical guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Gardner, T. J., & Anderson, T. M. (2012). Criminal law. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Gullotta, T. (2005). Handbook of adolescent behavioral problems: Evidence-based approaches to prevention and treatment. New York: Springer.
Gullotta, T. P., Adams, G. R., & Ramos, J. M. (2005). Handbook of adolescent behavioral problems: Evidence-based approaches to prevention and treatment. New York: Springer.
Hess, K. M. (2010). Juvenile justice. Belmont: Wadsworth.
Lawrence, R., & Hesse, M. (2010). Juvenile justice: The essentials. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
Mirriab, K. (2009). Fighting Truancy. Cape Town: Oxford.
Myriam L. (2001). Truancy Reduction: Keeping Students in School. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Vol. 4, no. 4. P. 737-736.
Thyer, B. A., & Wodarski, J. S. (2003). Handbook of empirical social work practice. Hoboken: John Wiley.