Teachers’ Practices in Addressing Absenteeism of the Learner

Learners’ absenteeism is a serious issue in public education. These lead to poor performance, disciplinary problems, and longterm social difficulties. Thus, it is essential to identify potential causes of absenteeism and implement techniques for reducing it. The key purpose of this study is to determine the teachers’ practices in addressing absenteeism of the learners in the hinterland schools in a district of a large-sized division in Central Philippines for the school year 2024-2025 as a basis for action. Descriptive research was conducted, and a 30-item survey questionnaire was used to gather data from thirty-two (32) elementary school teachers to determine the strategies they employed to address absenteeism. The results revealed that the teacher-respondents were equally distributed based on age; most have lower educational backgrounds, higher incomes, and fewer years in the teaching profession. Overall, the level of teachers’ practices in addressing learners' absenteeism in behavioral intervention and academic engagement was very high. In contrast, it was high in the area of school, family, and community partnerships. When grouped according to four variables, the level of teachers’ practices in addressing absenteeism among learners in the areas of behavioral intervention and academic engagement was very high. On the other hand, only a high level of teachers' practices addressed the absenteeism of learners in the school, family, and community partnership areas. Further, a significant difference was found in the level of teachers’ practices in addressing absenteeism in the areas of school, family, and community partnership and academic engagement when compared according to the highest educational attainment. This study calls for school heads, teachers, parents, and stakeholders to work together to implement basic preventive measures and tailor interventions to address the specific needs of at-risk learners, ultimately fostering academic achievement and engagement.