Financial advantage won't mitigate class absenteeism
Even short absences from school at age 13 are linked to lower Leaving Certificate grades, ESRI research shows.
The study, published by the ESRI and produced in partnership with Tusla Education Support Service (TESS), uses Growing Up in Ireland data to provide the first Irish evidence on the effects of school absence at age 13 on educational qualifications, labour market outcomes, and wellbeing at 20 and 25.
Performance gap
There is a very large performance gap related to chronic absence, defined as missing 20 or more days a year, a gap of over 80 Leaving Certificate points even taking account of a range of other factors that affect performance, the data show.
This performance gap is evident across all social groups.
Negative effects
There is, therefore, no evidence that more advantaged families can successfully counter the negative effects of absenteeism for their children.
Longer school absence at age 13 is significantly related to lower chances of going on to higher education and of achieving a degree by 25.
Young people with prolonged absence from school are also more negative about the benefits of their schooling to their broader social and personal development, especially the role of their school in increasing their self-confidence and helping them develop into a well-balanced person.
Young people with a good attendance record who attend a school with a higher prevalence of chronic absence also achieve lower Leaving Certificate points.
Attending a post-primary school with a high level of absence is linked to lower chances of attending higher education, even for those who had good attendance records.
More prolonged absence is linked to being less likely to be in a professional or managerial job and to lower employment income.
Part of this difference is related to the more disadvantaged profile of those with prolonged absence, the ESRI study shows.
Depressive symptoms
Chronic absence at ages nine and 13 is also predictive of depressive symptoms and higher stress levels at both 20 and 25 years.
Life satisfaction at 20 and 25 is much lower among those who were persistently absent from school at 13. This difference is sizeable – larger than that by gender or disability.
Those who have higher levels of absence at 13 report poorer physical health at ages 20 and 25, even when taking into account the effect of earlier health, disability, and social background.
Fewer close ties with others, and social relatedness, are found among those who were chronically absent at 13.
A much lower levels of general trust in others is evident even among those with moderate levels of absence (four to six days a year).
Social alienation
The gap in trust between those with no absence and those with 11 or more days is sizeable, suggesting some degree of social alienation among this group of adults.
Having attended a high-absence primary school is also markedly related to lower levels of trust in others.
The ESRI study says it is difficult to identify the reasons for these patterns, but it seems likely that school absence has disrupted key developmental processes that enhance wellbeing, coping strategies, and social ties in later life.
Co-author Emer Smyth said: “School absence emerges as an important driver of later inequality, with very significant negative consequences for educational attainment, health, wellbeing, and social belonging.
“The findings highlight the urgency of addressing school absence, especially given the higher levels apparent since the pandemic,” she said.