The Effects of Teacher Absenteeism on the Academic Performance of Students in Selected Junior High Schools in the Ejisu Municipality, Ghana

2023-11-26T20:58:40+00:00

This quantitative cross-sectional study with follow-up qualitative interviews was undertaken to evaluate the effects of teachers' absenteeism on Junior High School students' academic performance in English Language and Mathematics. A purposive sampling method was used to select forty Mathematics and English teachers and 683 learners from ten public Junior High Schools in the Ejisu municipality of Ghana. Data on absenteeism among teachers were garnered using log books which were analyzed with archival secondary data on students’ academic performance in English Language and Mathematics. The quantitative data suggested a correlation between the average student score and the logarithm of teacher absenteeism. As teacher absenteeism in logarithmic terms increases, student average scores decline, while they rise when teacher absenteeism is lower. On the other hand, qualitative interviews revealed that the majority of teachers were absent owing to their involvement in distance learning, weekend, or sandwich programs at a university or college, a lack of passion on the job, and economic difficulties. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education should introduce incentives such as performance-based pay, recognition, granting of allowances, and improving working conditions, to motivate teachers to be more committed to their work to reduce the incidence of absenteeism.

ASEAN Multidisciplinary Research Journal

The Effects of Teacher Absenteeism on the Academic Performance of Students in Selected Junior High Schools in the Ejisu Municipality, Ghana