Absenteeism and Beyond : Instructional Time Loss and Consequences

Abadzi, Helen

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ABSENTEEISM RATES;    ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT;    ACADEMIC LEARNING;    ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE;    ACADEMIC SUBJECTS;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-4376
RP-ID  :  WPS4376

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Studies have shown that learningoutcomes are related to the amount of time students engagein learning tasks. However, visits to schools have revealedthat students are often taught for only a fraction of theintended time, particularly in lower-income countries.Losses are due to informal school closures, teacherabsenteeism, delays, early departures, and sub-optimal useof time in the classroom. A study was undertaken to developan efficient methodology for measuring instructional timeloss. Thus, instructional time use was measured in sampledschools in Tunisia, Morocco, Ghana, and the Brazilian stateof Pernambuco. The percentage of time that students wereengaged in learning vis-à-vis government expectations wasapproximately 39 percent in Ghana, 63 percent in Pernambuco,71 percent in Morocco, and 78 percent in Tunisia.Instructional time use is a mediator variable that ischallenging to measure, so it often escapes scrutiny.Research suggests that merely financing the ingredients ofinstruction is not enough to produce learning outcomes;students must also get sufficient time to process theinformation.The quantity-quality tradeoff that oftenaccompanies large-scale enrollments may be partly due toinstructional time restrictions. Time wastage also distortsbudgetary outlays and teacher salary rates. To achieve theMillennium Development Goals students must get more of thetime that governments, donors, and parents pay for.