Post on 11-Mar-2020
Running Head: REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 1
Does a targeted rewards based intervention reduce tardiness and absenteeism in elementary students with
high rates of tardiness and absenteeism?
Laurie Gottschalk
Portland State University
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 2
Abstract
This action research project will look at tardiness trends at Metzger Elementary School in the
Tigard/Tualatin School District. Student attendance in schools is not only students being at
school but also being in their seat at the appropriate times. Early interventions to promote
punctual behavior can ripple throughout many domains within a student’s life. Attendance and
tardiness rates have been studied and shown to possibly link to high school graduation rates.
Targeting and modifying student’s tardiness and absenteeism behaviors could create a
foundation for future positive educational habits. The goal of this project is to modify elementary
student’s behavior around tardiness and absenteeism by delivering a targeted reward based
intervention. The “Sunshine Club” was created at Metzger where each student was tracked for
their daily attendance habits and rewarded for decreasing their tardiness and absenteeism.
Students were identified for the intervention based on the qualification of having three or more
absences or tardies after January 6th
, 2014 and before February, 14th
2014. After selected students
had their own tracking sheet which they placed a sticker on for each day they were present and
on time for school. If students attended 90% or more of the time then they were invited to a club
celebration where they got a small treat. Overall absences decreased from an average of 8.7 to an
average of 1.38. Students who are on time and ready to learn are typically more successful on
tests, have better peer relationships, and have a greater connection to the school. Working on
early interventions for students to improve their behavior around school attendance sets them up
for future behaviors that are necessary for college and employment.
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 3
Table of Contents
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................4
Literature Review ..........................................................................................................................5
Procedures ....................................................................................................................................12
Selection .....................................................................................................................................12
Rationale ....................................................................................................................................13
Findings .........................................................................................................................................14
Discussion ..................................................................................................................................15
Future Implications ....................................................................................................................16
Strengths ....................................................................................................................................17
Limitations .................................................................................................................................18
Future Studies ............................................................................................................................19
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................20
Appendix A ...................................................................................................................................21
Appendix B ...................................................................................................................................22
Appendix C ...................................................................................................................................23
Bibliography .................................................................................................................................24
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 4
Introduction
The purpose of this action research study is to review tardiness trends at Metzger
Elementary School in the Tigard-Tualatin School District. Student attendance in schools is not
only students being physically at school but also being in their seat at the appropriate time. Early
interventions to promote punctual behavior can ripple throughout many domains within a
student’s life and create a strong foundation that will prepare them for the future. Metzger
Elementary students, staff, and parents all see the value of every instructional minute of the day.
One of their continuous school improvement plan goals is to reduce the number of tardiness or
absences by the top 25 most tardy or absent students by 25%. The school’s curriculum and
instruction focus of the year is active engagement and rigor, which means that student’s are fully
engaged in the learning process throughout the entire school day.
The goal of this project is to modify elementary student’s behavior around tardiness and
absenteeism by delivering a targeted reward based intervention. Each student will be tracked for
their daily attendance habits and rewarded for decreasing their tardiness and absenteeism within
a specified amount of time. I am trying to answer the question: Does a targeted rewards based
intervention reduce tardiness or absenteeism in elementary aged children with high rates of
tardiness or absenteeism?
For the purpose of this study and report absenteeism is known as a general term for a
student not being present at school, either excused or not excused. Tardiness is defined as
arriving anytime after 8:25am. The terms incentive, reward, and reinforcement are
interchangeable and all refer to the item that we offered the students to change their behavior.
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 5
This study is significant due to the fact that being on time and ready is a highly valued
life skill. It is applicable to American School Counseling Association’s (ASCA) three domains of
development: career, personal/social, and academic. Not only is it important to teach students to
be on time it another branch of self advocacy to enlist only the student in this research study.
Since this study did not include an intervention with parents, students needed to self advocate
and self monitor in order to earn their reward. These types of skills are invaluable to the
development of the self at any developmental age.
Literature Review
This literature review will be separated into three parts. The first will focus on the
definitions of absenteeism, risk factors and importance of being in school, as well as the role of
the school counselor in tardiness and absenteeism. The second will look at the achievement
factors and impact of chronic absenteeism and tardiness on academic outcomes. The final section
is a review of interventions previously conducted in schools.
Let us first start with how we look at absenteeism in our school systems. Pellegrini
(2007) puts absenteeism into perspective for us, working to decrease the stigma around the
already existing labels of students who chronically miss school. He analyzes the two labels, one
being called “school refusal” and the other “school phobia”. The idea is to make sure that when
we label a student that the labels we are using are not creating even more barriers to a student’s
behavior. School phobia is a term used to define the behavior of not attending school, often
associated with a psychopathology of anxiety or phobic disorders (Pellegrini, 2007). Pellegrini
cited that Kearney & Silverman (1999) referred to a lack of motivation to attend school and
encapsulated any other reason non-pathological on the spectrum of non-attendance. “Chronic
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 6
Absenteeism” is another term widely used and is defined as 10% or more of the school year or in
the previous year missing a month or more (Balfanz and Byrnes, 2012). Even this term is implied
with a term typically associated in the medical field, thus implying that it is somewhat of an
internal diagnosis without the implication of the external factors. While it is important that we
accept that there is a differentiation needed for the reasons students do not attend school these
definitions neglect the systematic reasons a student may not attend school. Pellegrini proposes
we use the term “extended school non-attendance” to define the behavior (Pellegrini, 2007). This
term is neutral and void of medical and psychopathological implications as well as leaving the
door open to address the school environment in conjunction with the persistent behavior
(Pellegrini, 2007).
The largest risk factor of having extended school non-attendance is that the ultimate
conclusion of dropping out. Students who drop out of school have historically lower paying jobs
and higher rates of unemployment (Kelly and White, 2010). Students who miss academic chunks
of their education due to non-attendance are not as academically successful as their peers; they
perform poorly on state tests and get low grades. This system is a mutually reinforcing system
for non-attendance (D.Couillard, J. Garnett, A Hutchins, M.L. Fawcett, and G Macock, 2006).
Students who do not feel successful at school find that their time may be used completing other
activities that they are successful at and elect to complete those instead. It has been found that the
effects of non-attendance in kindergarten is associated with lower academic performance in the
first grade (Balfanz and Byrnes, 2012)
The profession of School Counseling has been dedicated to working to close the
achievement gap, which non-attendance is a large part of. School Counselors are in a unique
position to support the academic success of students as it relates to their social/emotional lives.
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 7
White and Kelly suggest that School Counselor already plays a role in preventative factors in the
prevention of school dropout (Kelly and White, 2010). School Counselors are linked to social
support, monitoring and mentoring, personal and social skill development, and parent
involvement (Kelly and White, 2010). A student’s ability to function in their academic world
relies on a vast amount of factors beyond their comprehension of the subject. An extenuating
factor is their mental health status, which counselors are in a unique position to connect a student
and their family to resources that could assist the family if necessary (D.Couillard, J. Garnett, A
Hutchins, M.L. Fawcett, and G Macock, 2006). Attendance interventions are found to be more
successful when they are part of a comprehensive approach; this includes outreach to families
who have more challenging barriers to attendance (Balfanz and Byrnes, 2012). The School
Counselor has the ability to touch many of these areas that research suggests promotes change in
non-attendance, there for the School Counselor could sit in a leadership role when it comes to
engaging families who have students who are extended school non-attendees.
Extended school non attendance comes with risk factors, this is evident. If a child is not
in their seat to learn, then they do not learn; this logic is infallible. With the common evaluation
model for education being the standardized test we rely on our public educators to prepare
students for these tests. If a child is not in class to hear the instructions, particularly in math, then
it is possible that said student could perform more poorly than their peers on the same test. This
next sections attempts to not only look at individual students but to look at various groups of
students to see how absenteeism and tardiness have affected their achievement levels. Michael
Gottfried has done significant research in this field and contributed much to the body of
knowledge around the effects of absenteeism and tardiness.
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 8
Gottfried (2007) took looking at how absenteeism effects student testing outcomes a step
further and disseminated the data based on what type of absence the student had: excused versus
unexcused in elementary aged children. What he found was that students who had unexcused
absences were performing more poorly on their tests than that of their peers. Gottfried (2007)
also found that those who had a higher proportion of excused absences actually performed better
on standard tests or had very insignificant difference in loss on test scores as compared to their
peers. The limitation to this is that students who have extreme amounts of absences whether
excused or unexcused perform more poorly on standardized tests than their peers (Gottfried,
2007).
When looking at individual absences and considering if they are excused or unexcused
school officials make conclusions as to why a student may or may not be missing school.
Excused absences could be attributed to positive family relationships while unexcused negative.
It is possible that children who are unexcused live in a family where the electricity may have
been shut off or the phone bill unpaid. All of these familial circumstances could be investigated
by the school to best support the families. An interesting group of students to study is those in
foster care or those within the welfare system. Two predictors of drop out are absenteeism and
school stability (Zorc, O’Riely, Matone, Long, Watts, Ruin, 2013). This particular variable is a
very challenging one for those in the foster care system. Students who are placed and
transitioned between multiple placements face more challenges than their peers and are at a
greater risk for absenteeism than their peers. In the study conducted of foster children the
average number of days absent per year was 25, 13% of these absences were due to non-
enrollment. The average number of schools attended was 2.7 in two years (Zorc, O’Riely,
Matone, Long, Watts, Ruin, 2013). Foster children experience many transitions in their lives; it
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 9
is difficult to not only move to a new home but also to a new school and to not be at that school
for a full year. The statistics given above are on the right side of the bell curve, those foster
placement children who had what was termed “stable placements.” Students who had unstable
placements were found to attend 3.6 schools in the same two year period as their peers. Even
more shocking is the fact that students who were reunified to their home had far worse statistics
than those of their foster care peers, 70% were more likely to be absent than their stable
placement foster care peers (Zorc, O’Riely, Matone, Long, Watts, Ruin, 2013). With what we
know from Gottfried (2007) about excused versus unexcused absences we can only begin to
predict the academic impact that this has on these students.
Expanding further on our view of achievement for out extended school non-attenders is a
study conducted by Gottfried (2011) on the effects of absenteeism in siblings. This research was
done over 6 years on siblings in the Philadelphia School District. What Gottfried was aiming to
do was to look at sibling’s performance levels in standardized tests who experience high levels
of absenteeism and look at this behavior and school performance levels over time. What
Gottfried did find was that the absences experiences by the subjects did have a negative effect on
standardized test outcomes, more so in math than in reading and that the outcomes continue to
deteriorate over time (Gottfried, 2011). This study is important to the current research because it
was the first to look at the effects of siblings over time in elementary school. To see that the
effects are similar on pairs of siblings that experience similar familial variables contributes to the
larger body of research that absenteeism alone does have an effect on academic performance.
Student who are absent or tardy not only affect their own performance but it has also
been implied that it affects their peer’s performance. There is suspicion that there are negative
classroom and behavioral outcomes from students who are chronically tardy. A student who is
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 10
tardy or absent is missing more instructional time than their peers and thus may require the
attention of the teacher to get them back on track or adjust them into the current events of the
classroom. Gottfried (2012) found that students individual tarides have a negative effect on their
own test scores, more astounding is the fact that students who are in classrooms where more of
their peers are tardy and hold consistent levels of tardiness also have lower performance on test
scores classroom wide. This fact is particularly alarming for the school systems in the case that
not only can we see that the individual suffer and that we need to intervene there, but we also
now can see that a whole class may be negatively affected by multiple individuals tardiness
behavior and there for call for an even stronger need for an intervention.
The literature on interventions to keep students in school dictates a vast amount of
strategies to keep students in school and engaged to learn. When considering how to intervene
with students it is suggested that there be levels of intervention like a tier model (Bynum,
McCluskey, Pathclin, 2004), other tier models are Response to Intervention model (Graczyk &
Karney, 2013), a Positive Behavior Supports Model (Haydon & Musti-Rao, 2011; Caldarella,
Christensen, Denley, Young, 2011).
The tier model is designed to group behaviors according to their severity and intervention
level. As severity increases so does the monitoring and the intervention. It is recommended that
schools implement school wide supports to address school climate and behavior. This would be a
Tier 1 intervention, school climate should be welcoming and address bullying, teacher and peer
support, and have consistent rules (Graczyk & Karney, 2013). School based health centers and
programs can increase attendance by addressing personal health concerns and provide students
with care they may not be able to receive in other places (Graczyk & Karney, 2013). According
to the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network schools are communities that do not exist in
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 11
isolation, their first tier of intervention involved systematic renewal, school-community
collaboration and safe learning environments; which require looking at the schools objectives
and policies and adjusting them to fit the diverse population they serve (Riemer and Smink,
2005). It is also recommended that looking at family engagement, early childhood education, and
early literacy development can be most effective when implemented early as to prevent drop out
(Riemer & Smink, 2005).
As we get into the second tier there are more needs to address the concerns of extended
school non-attendance. It is common for schools to send out letter to those students who missed
20% or more of the school year were sent a letter home noting the federal law about school
attendance and the amount of days the student had missed (Caldarella, Christensen, Denley,
Young, 2011; Bynum, McCluskey, Patchin, 2004). These interventions returned a decrease in
tardiness and absenteeism. At the second level we can start expanding interventions to outside of
the school. Is there are reason the student is late that is due to home life or psychological
concerns? Increasing student engagement and peer mentors, after school opportunities, and
alternative schooling can work to connect to students and give school additional meaning; the
hope is that this changes behaviors around absenteeism and tardiness (Graczyk & Karney, 2013;
Riemer & Smink, 2005).
It has been found that teachers can play a large role in the tier two interventions.
Research on teachers using written praise notes for students who attend class on time decreased
rates of tardiness and absenteeism (Caldarella, Christensen, Denley, Young, 2011; Bynum,
McCluskey, Patchin, 2004). Teacher praise statements can increase the positive behavior of a
student through praise (Haydon & Musti-Rao, 2011). While there is recognition that teachers
have such a case load and interventions that do not take a lot of time and are simple to use are
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 12
preferred, teachers self monitoring their levels of praise could have a dramatic effect on their
behaviors in their classroom (Haydon & Musti-Rao, 2011). In a study conducted in Virginia
published in 1977 students had their own charts in their classroom where they put stars on their
attendance charts and the amount of time they were present directly correlated to the amount of
time they got to spend at a month end party. School officials saw an increase over previous years
of attendance by a full percentage (Barber & Kagery, 1977). This represented a very simple
intervention that was done in the classroom and yielded positive school wide results.
More intense interventions involve truancy officers visiting the home of students who
continue to not attend school, officers made contact with parents and had them sign a form
acknowledging their students absence behaviors (Bynum, McCluskey, Patchin, 2004). Legal
strategies tend to be the last resort for schools as they have used the resources they have
internally to address the concern of attendance. Even more alternative placements could be
considered for students and very extensive monitoring would be required at this point (Graczyk
& Karney, 2013). While we rarely want to reach the third tier of intervention in a school, it is a
common occurrence.
What we know is that missing school affects student outcomes. Achievement gaps widen
for those students who are extended school non-attending than those of their peers that do attend
school. A decline in test scores, feelings of disconnection to the school and their peers, and
increased absenteeism result from not addressing concerns around attendance behavior. The
research presented shows support for school wide initiatives as well individual support plans and
investigation to mitigate the reasons for extended school non-attendance. Particular attention
should be paid to how we view attendance and instigate the help of the community to address
these concerns. Conceptualization of the behavior can be particularly sensitive for the persons
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 13
involved and it is important to understand and be empathetic about how we present our concerns
for the behavior of an individual. Non-attendance not only affects the student but becomes a
school wide climate concern and is thus an ideal issue for the counselor to address.
Procedures
Selection
Most students were selected for this research based on their absenteeism and tardiness
reports from January 6th
, 2014 through February 14th
, 2014. Those students who had the highest
levels of absenteeism and tardiness were selected, there were a couple of subjects selected based
on previous attendance history during the 2013-2014 school year. Students were personally
notified that they would be a part of a group called “The Sunshine Club.” Students were told that
they would be a part of a brand new club and if they wanted to go to the club celebration all they
needed to do was be on time to school. Two parents were stationed at the front of the school with
the students individual tracking sheets so that they could put a sticker on their sheet for each day
that they were on time. Reports from the student information system were pulled weekly to track
progress and students were reminded that they had an incentive they were working towards. At
the end of the designated time the students were invited to their celebration, which was a hot
chocolate party, and told that they were still in the club and would need to check in for the next
month.
Rationale
The rational for this research protocol was based on previous intervention success. The
School Counselor on site had run a program similar to this previously and found it very
successful. There was also careful thought as to which students would be inappropriate for the
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 14
study pertaining to extenuating circumstances involving parents and home life. This study was
specifically designed to intervene with a single stakeholder: the student, with the idea that self
motivation would be enough to promote change without the assistance of another stakeholder.
This allows us to discriminate between variables easily. If rates of absenteeism and tardiness
improved it would be a direct reflection of the student’s behavior not another variable.
This action research study was conducted on the premises of Metzger Elementary School with
the assistance of two parent volunteers for check in, teachers of the students, the school
counselor, and the school counseling intern. Data was collected solely through Synergy, which is
the student information system used in the Tigard-Tualatin School District.
In summary, we wanted to positively reinforce the behavior of absenteeism and tardiness.
By keeping the students in a club it avoided a social stigma around their behavior of concern and
provided them with an achievable goal that was obtained through self motivation and advocacy.
The reward was developmentally appropriate and desirable enough to promote change.
Findings
The data for this intervention was collected on each of the students pre-intervention,
during intervention, and post-intervention. While there were two separate reinforcements given,
data was accumulated during that time since it was all within the time span of the same
intervention. The sample size is n=25. Figure 1 shows the results for each individual student.
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 15
Figure 1
The percentage of school missed was determined by adding the number of days absent
and tardy and dividing them by the total number of days possible to be present and on time. The
total amount of days possible to be present and on time pre-intervention was 29. During the
intervention the total number of days to be present and on time was 28. Table 1 shows the
average difference between pre and post intervention, the average number of absences was 8.7
and decreased to 1.38 after the intervention. 21 out of 25 students decreased the amount of
absences or tardys they had by more than 50% during the intervention. Of all 25 students only
one student showed a gain in absences and tardys. This particular student was selected based on
his attendance prior to January 6th
, however despite showing improved attendance in the New
Year we elected to keep him in the study. This resulted in his behavior reverting back to the
previous tendencies of missing school or being tardy and he showed gains in his percentage of
absenteeism and tardiness for the intervention.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
K K 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 4th 4th
Missed School % Pre 20% 31% 17% 20% 27% 51% 31% 27% 6% 31% 17% 13% 27% 27% 68% 31% 20% 31% 58% 34% 27% 24% 41% 34% 27%
Missed School % Post 3% 25% 7% 17% 7% 21% 7% 7% 14% 7% 3.50 7% 3.50 17% 7% 3.50 7% 0% 21% 7% 7% 3.50 11% 18% 7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Pe
rce
nta
ge o
f A
bse
nce
s
Sunshine Club Data
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 16
Table 1
% of Absent and/or Tardy
Pre-Intervention 8.7%
Post-Intervention 1.38%
Discussion
In conclusion the data supports a targeted rewards based intervention does reduce the
amount of absenteeism and tardiness in elementary aged students with high rates of absenteeism
and tardiness. Significant gains were produced during this intervention to support using this type
of intervention again.
Future Implications
The implications for Metzger were a marked increase in the amount of time that a student
is at school. Absenteeism and tardiness has proven to be one of the front line barriers to
education. To be able to address the concern in a simplistic way with such significant gains as a
result shows that this can be an intervention used in the future. This data also supports an
intervention in attendance starting at the first and most available stakeholder: the student. With
the ability to effect levels of attendance and tardiness while using minimal resources, time, and
effort this is an attractive model for the current constraints that many schools are facing. Time,
resources, and support are often scarce commodities in a school and this intervention uses little
resources. For other schools this is an example of a program that they may use as an intervention
at their school. Since the population included students of a diverse background and age level it
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 17
can be replicated in another school with a sound hypothesis that it will produce gains of some
kind in the population.
Strengths
The greatest strength of this research protocol is the small amount of resources that the
study uses. Compiling information on the student information system, Synergy, the data is
readily available and disseminated for the researcher at any time of the day. Another strength is
that the required goal of the students is simple and easy to understand, and there is a visual and
tactile component that the student must participate in. With each individual student having their
own chart they are active participants in their progress and can visually see their progress. The
use of the name “The Sunshine Club” is a veil to the rest of the population as to the reason of the
intervention and there has the potential for less identification from their peers. In conclusion the
intervention is simple, obtainable, and produces results with a small amount of effort all qualities
that are desirable in the modern elementary school.
Limitations
While the research protocol has a vast amount of strengths to it there are also some
limitations. Student matriculation can make it difficult to reward behaviors. There was a student
who left the school before the celebration day occurred. While the change in behavior caused
him to earn the reward it is also important that a student receive the reward promised. We also
noticed an age limitation; students who were in 4th
and 5th
grade were not as easily impressed by
the incentives offered. This caused us to rethink the interventions for attendance for the 4th
and
5th
grade levels and collaborate on what new interventions we could implement. Also, there were
a few days where the parent volunteers were unable to access the data sheets as they were kept in
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 18
the school counselor’s office and there were mornings that the counselor was unable to be in
their office.
The largest limitation of this study is the longevity of it. At what point do you remove a
child from the intervention and presume that a permanent behavior change has been made?
Below in Figure 2 the data was taken from the month of April to show which students kept up
with their new on time and ready to learn behavior and which did not. There were a number of
students who reverted back to their old behavior of being absent or tardy. A study that included
more time on the intervention would be useful to determine if the rewards based incentive was
truly causing an actual generalized change in behavior or just positive reinforcement for the new
behavior without extinguishing the previous behavior. If this is the case we can hypothesize that
by not having an intervention we are negatively reinforcing the behavior of being absent or tardy
for those who the intervention had previously worked for. It is also important to consider that
this behavior had been occurring since the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year, not just the
beginning of the 2014 New Year where the data was originally derived from. Many students had
previous histories of high rates of absenteeism and tardiness that had no previous intervention.
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 19
Figure 2
Future Studies
As further studies are produced in modifying students behaviors as it pertains to their
attendance rates it is important to consider the following: Are we producing behavior change that
can be generalized or will the behavior happen only with reinforcement? How do we get students
to generalize their behavior without constant monitoring and reinforcement? These are all
questions that should be addressed in further studies. It is important that when we try to modify
behavior that it doesn’t regress back to the previous state. Levels and schedules of reinforcement
need to be further solidified in order determine whether or not to provide this intervention for a
full year. While we are encouraging the pro social behavior of attendance and timeliness we need
to make sure that is the behavior that is truly being created. More education to the students
around the definition of absenteeism and tardiness could help this study. While this study was
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
K K 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 4th 4th
Series1 20% 31% 17% 20% 27% 51% 31% 27% 6% 31% 17% 13% 27% 27% 68% 31% 20% 31% 58% 34% 27% 24% 41% 34% 27%
Series2 3% 25% 7% 17% 7% 21% 7% 7% 14% 7% 3.5 7% 3.5 17% 7% 3.5 7% 0% 21% 7% 7% 3.5 11% 18% 7%
Series3 27% 27% 0.4 50% 1% 27% 27% 0% 13% 22% 0.4 13% 13% 36% 50% 13% 0.4 27% 31% 0.9 13% 31% 27% 27%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Pe
rce
nta
ge o
f A
bse
nce
s
Sunshine Club Data
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 20
designed for the students only one cannot ignore that there are other stakeholders that are
involved. Parents often play a role in the timeliness of their students and that is another variable
that should be independently or co-dependently studied.
Conclusion
In conclusion students will respond with significant gains to a targeted rewards based
intervention specifically targeting their absenteeism and tardiness rates. While this study is
attractive for a busy elementary school counselor, it also has its share of limitations that could be
further explored in any school. The bottom line is that if students are not in their seats ready to
learn they cannot be full participants in their education. Missing instructional time can
accumulate greatly over the school year resulting in hours, days, and even weeks of instructional
time that is lost for a student. In the current fast paced, fully packed, and academically rigorous
world of instruction students cannot afford to miss out on their education.
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 21
Appendix A
Data Sheet
Sunshine Club Member Name: ______________________________
Teacher: __________
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
My goal is to be on time for 9 school days.
If I am I get to come to the sunshine club
meeting!!
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 22
Appendix B
English Notification of Study Letter
Parents/Guardians:
Metzger Elementary hosts interns from Portland State University every year. The interns work closely
with our counselor, Sue Porter, to develop their own skills as a school counselor. As part of their
educational development the interns are required to conduct a research project within the school to
determine if an intervention is effective.
This year Laurie Gottschalk will be working with our students to help them develop strategies that would
encourage them to get to school on-time and ready to learn. To begin the program, students will be
provided a reward to celebrate when they get to school on-time. Hopefully the skills they learn through
this program will allow them to come to school on-time throughout their school career. In the past we
have found similar interventions to be highly successful with students who have tardy or absenteeism
issues.
If you have any questions or concerns about this research or would prefer that your student’s results not
be used in the study’s report; please contact Laurie Gottschalk or Sue Porter via phone, email, or in
person. This project is being conducted as an educational activity for the course COUN 589, Action
Research in School Counseling, under the supervision of Lisa Aasheim, Instructor and Program
Coordinator. She can be reached at 503.725.4253 if any questions or concerns should arise.
Laurie Gottschalk
Email: lvannest@pdx.edu
Phone: 503-431-4609
Sue Porter:
Email: sporter@ttsd.k12.or.us
Phone: 503-431-4609
Sincerely,
Laurie Gottschalk
School Counseling Candidate
Anticipated Graduation – 2014
Portland State University
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 23
Appendix C
Spanish Notification of Study Letter
Estimados Padres/Tutores:
Todos los años la escuela primaria Metzger recibe estudiantes practicantes de la Universidad del Estado
de Portland (Portland State University). Estos estudiantes practicantes trabajan cercanamente con la
consejera de la escuela, Sue Porter, para desarrollar sus propias habilidades como consejeros escolares.
Parte del desarrollo educativo de los estudiantes practicantes requiere que conduzcan un estudio
dentro de la escuela para decidir si alguna intervención adicional es requerida.
Este año, Laurie Gottschalk, trabajará con nuestros estudiantes para ayudarlos a desarrollar estrategias
para motivarlos a llegar a la escuela a tiempo y listos para estudiar. Al inicio del programa, los
estudiantes recibirán un premio para celebrar cuando lleguen a la escuela a tiempo. Esperamos que las
estrategias que aprendan en este programa los ayuden durante su carrera escolar. En el pasado hemos
notado que intervenciones similares han sido altamente efectivas con estudiantes que tienen problemas
de asistencia y dificultades llegando a la escuela a tiempo.
Si tiene alguna pregunta o preocupaciones acerca de este proyecto o preferiría que los resultados de su
estudiante no fueran publicados en este reporte, por favor comuníquese por correo electrónico,
teléfono o en persona con Laurie Gottschalk o Sue Porter. Este Proyecto es llevado a cabo como un
actividad educativa para la clase COUN 589 Estudio de Acción en Consejería escolar (Action Research in
School Counseling), bajo la supervisión de Lisa Aasheim, Instructora y Coordinadora del programa. Si
necesita comunicarse con la coordinadora del programa por favor hable al 503.725.4253.
Laurie Gottschalk
Correo electrónico: lvannest@pdx.edu
Teléfono: 503-431-4609
Sue Porter:
Correo electrónico: sporter@ttsd.k12.or.us
Teléfono: 503-431-4609
Atentamente,
Laurie Gottschalk
Candidata a Consejera Escolar
Fecha de Graduación – 2014
Universidad Del Estado de Portland
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 24
Bibliography
Balfanz, R., & Byrnes, V. (October 01, 2012). The Importance of Being in School: A Report on
Absenteeism in the Nation's Public Schools. Education Digest: Essential Readings
Condensed for Quick Review, 78, 2, 4-9.
Barber, R. M., & Kagey, J. R. (June 06, 1977). MODIFICATION OF SCHOOL
ATTENDANCE FOR AN ELEMENTARY POPULATION. Journal of Applied
Behavior Analysis, 10, 1, 41-48
Caldarella, P., Christensen, L., Young, K. R., & Densley, C. (November 01, 2011). Decreasing
Tardiness in Elementary School Students Using Teacher-Written Praise
Notes. Intervention in School and Clinic, 47, 2, 104-112.
Couillard, D., Garnett, J., Hutchins, A., Fawcett, M. L., & Maycock, G. (January 01, 2006).
Student Risk Factors Identified by School Counselors and Student
Achievement.Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 52, 4, 277-288.
Gottfried, M. A. (January 01, 2009). Excused versus Unexcused: How Student Absences in
Elementary School Affect Academic Achievement. Educational Evaluation and
Policy Analysis, 31, 4, 392-415.
Gottfried, M. A. (January 01, 2014). The achievement effects of tardy classmates: evidence in
urban elementary schools. School Effectiveness and School Improvement Lisse-
, 25, 1, 3-28.
Gottfried, M. A. (February 01, 2011). The Detrimental Effects of Missing School: Evidence from
Urban Siblings. American Journal of Education, 117, 2, 147-182.
Kearney, C. A., & Graczyk, P. (February 20, 2014). A Response to Intervention Model to
Promote School Attendance and Decrease School Absenteeism. Child & Youth
Care Forum, 43, 1, 1-25.
McCluskey, C. P., Bynum, T. S., & Patchin, J. W. (April 01, 2004). Reducing Chronic
Absenteeism: an Assessment of an Early Truancy Initiative. Crime &
Delinquency, 50, 2, 214-234
Musti-Rao, S., & Haydon, T. (January 01, 2011). Strategies to Increase Behavior-Specific
Teacher Praise in an Inclusive Environment. Intervention in School and
Clinic,47, 2, 91-97.
Pellegrini, D. W. (March 01, 2007). School Non-attendance: Definitions, meanings, responses,
interventions. Educational Psychology in Practice, 23, 1.)
REWARDS BASED INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ABENTEEISM AND TARDINESS 25
Smink, J., Reimer, M. S., & National Dropout Prevention Center. (2005). Fifteen effective
strategies for improving student attendance and truancy prevention. Clemson,
S.C.: National Dropout Prevention Center/Network.
White, S. W., & Kelly, F. D. (June 06, 2010). The School Counselor's Role in School Dropout
Prevention. Journal of Counseling & Development, 88, 2, 227-235.
Zorc, C. S., O'Reilly, A. L. R., Matone, M., Long, J., Watts, C. L., & Rubin, D. (May 01, 2013).
The relationship of placement experience to school absenteeism and changing
schools in young, school-aged children in foster care. Children and Youth Services
Review, 35, 5, 826-833.