Perceived Indices of Truancy Among Selected Adolescents in Oyo Town: Implications for Behavioural Change

Abstract

The study investigated perceived indices of truancy behaviour among selected adolescents in Oyo town. The descriptive survey study had 200 randomly selected adolescents from five secondary schools in Oyo town. A self-designed instrument tagged Adolescent Truancy Scale (ATS) was employed in collecting data for the study and the data was subjected to t-test statistical analysis to test the 2 stated hypotheses. The findings revealed that significant differences existed in the perceptions of male and female adolescents as touching causes of truancy (3.50 > 1.96). Also, significant differences existed in the perceptions of adolescents from educated and those from uneducated homes (2.41 > 1.96); the two hypotheses were thus rejected. Implications were drawn for the findings.  It was recommended that government at all levels should make schools more students-friendly to attract students and sustain their interests in school attendance.

Keywords: Adolescent, Truancy, Absenteeism, Delinquent behaviour, environment.