Student non-attendance in higher education
A phenomenon of student apathy or poor pedagogy?
Author -
Joanne Cleary-Holdforth
|
 |
| Show/
hide article menu (click icons opposite) |
 |
 |
|
|
Introduction
Non-attendance at university seems to be an on-going problem that
appears to transcend country, university and discipline. One need
only consult the literature on this subject to appreciate the magnitude
of this phenomenon (Gump 2006; McCarey et al. 2006; Sharma et al.
2005; Nicholl and Timmins 2005; Hughes 2005; Hunter and Tetley 1999;
Longhurst 1999). It is a phenomenon that is both intriguing and
frustrating and yet there is very little evidence of university
or governmental policy on it. It is generally accepted that university
is a rite of passage for its students and is, therefore, as much
about a ‘coming of age’ and the development of autonomous
adults, as it is about training and ‘education’ per
se (Bourgeois et al. 1999). This culture, therefore, does not embrace
mandatory attendance. Consequently, policy on attendance is often
non-existent and where it is considered, it certainly seems to vary
not only from university to university but even from department
to department (Cohn and Johnson 2006). Attendance does become an
issue, however, where there is a ‘professional’ element
to the programme, such as in nursing, for example, where a high
‘minimum’ attendance is stipulated (An Bord Altranais
2005). This leads to tensions between the professional and academic
values. This assignment will attempt to explore the phenomenon that
is non-attendance amongst university students from the students’
and academics’ perspectives. It will consider the implications
of non-attendance and propose possible ways forward in an attempt
to resolve the issue in a way that benefits both groups.
|
