Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1927. / Vita. Published also as Teachers College, Columbia University, Contributions to education, no. 262. "A selected and annotated bibliography": p. 183-187.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1926. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 485-498).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 196-201).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 2001. / Title from title page screen, viewed March 17, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Elizabeth Lugg (chair), Diane Ashby, Paul Baker, Rand Burnette. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-85) and abstract. Also available in print.

published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

The thesis covers two sides of the truancy problem in the period following compulsory school attendance - the truanting children and their parents, and the local authorities charged with enforcing the law. The introduction covers current concerns about truancy and school attendance, which have increased in prominence since the 1980s. Chapter 2 reviews the historiography, which has mainly debated working-class attitudes towards compulsory schooling in the nineteenth century. This study draws instead on the insights of development economists into household decision-making over children's schooling to investigate the effectiveness of enforcement in several contrasting localities - rural and urban, industrial and agricultural, and in a seaside resort. The thesis brings together evidence to show that local authorities could make an impact on attendance levels, even in unpropitious local circumstances. Chapter 3 considers the success of measures to improve attendance up to 1900. Chapter 4 offers a detailed case study of a sample of truants and their families from Coventry in the period 1874-99. Chapters 5 to 7 cover 1900-39 and demonstrate changes in the enforcement of attendance, within the context of growing local government services related to child welfare and the family. Attendance officers' local knowledge of working-class families supported the delivery of child welfare legislation in the period after 1906, including special education, assessment of families for free school meals, assistance with medical treatment and the policing of restrictions on children's street trading. Attendance officers also supervised children deemed at risk of offending, who were committed to institutions. These additions to the enforcement role led increasingly to a remedial, rather than punitive, approach to truancy during the 1920s and 30s. The conclusion returns to contemporary policy issues over truancy and sets in context the historical reasons why it has proved such a long-standing problem for government and schools.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 1997. / Title from title page screen, viewed June 13, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Paul Baker, Elizabeth Lugg (co-chairs), Ramesh Chaudhari, Robert Hall. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 71-73) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (MEd)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The central question of this thesis is whether free and compulsory primary education in primary government schools of Lesotho has the potential to be thickly democratic. I hold that the Free and Compulsory Primary Education (2000) policy is a less democratic project because it is characterised by principles of thin democracy. My claim is that free and compulsory primary education in Lesotho can be more democratic if there is balance in the demand for equity of access in the FPE (2000) project. I hold that in order to succeed in further democratising the Free and Compulsory Primary Education (2000) programme, the whole process, but primarily the structures of education, should be anchored within thick democratic principles. Although primary education is regarded to have changed, this change has been illusory or superficial (meaning that it is still essentially the same as the colonial one), as it did not affect the structure and value systems governing the delivery of education. The reported conflicts that have come to the fore after independence have been mostly on matters of strategy rather than differences in terms of the values that drive the delivery of education in Lesotho. The focus of Lesotho's education has remained on an elitist and outwardly looking minority. This powerful minority remains geared towards the acquisition of a Western type of education driven by Western values. Lessons and opportunities that could have been learnt from Sotho (pre-colonial) educational experiences and which were regarded as democratic have been lost. I contend that a democratically driven education system has to draw its inspiration from the principles of thick democratic education. An effective and transformational educational system requires the commitment of those in political leadership as well as those in charge of education. This commitment must include a desire to implement an education system that transforms people's worldview qualitatively to put them at the service of their nation. I hold that the value of education in Lesotho can be successful when it is capable of producing men and women of the highest integrity, honesty, tolerance, responsibility and accountability. The education system should produce individuals who are hard working, patriotic, well mannered and committed to serving their society. Education should be able to equip each and everyone to contribute meaningfully to the development of the nation. Finally, the teaching of thick democratic attributes must be founded on the bedrock of a successful education system in Lesotho from the lowest classes or grades. KEYWORDS: Free and compulsory education, democratic education, quality education, equality in education, thick and thin democracy in Lesotho. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die belangrike vraag in hierdie tesis is of gratis en verpligte primêre onderwys in primêre skole in Lesotho die potensiaal het om "dik" demokraties te is. Myns insiens is die beleid van gratis en verpligte primêre onderwys (2000) 'n minder demokratiese projek aangesien dit deur die beginsels van onvoldoende ("dun") demokrasie gekenmerk word. Ek voer aan dat gratis en verpligte primêre onderwys in Lesotho meer demokraties kan wees indien daar 'n balans in die vraag na gelyke toegang in die Gratis Primêre Onderwys-projek (2000) bestaan. Ek meen verder dat die hele proses, maar hoofsaaklik die onderwysstrukture, in demokratiese beginsels veranker behoort te wees ten einde die verdemokratisering van die program vir gratis en verpligte primêre onderwys (2000) suksesvol deur te voer. Alhoewel daar gereken word dat primêre onderwys verander het, was hierdie verandering denkbeeldig of oppervlakkig (waarmee bedoel word dat dit steeds wesenlik dieselfde is as die koloniale onderwysstelsel), aangesien dit nie 'n invloed gehad het op die struktuur en waardestelsel wat die lewering van onderwys beheer nie. Die konflikte wat aangemeld is ná onafhanklikwording het meestal te make gehad met kwessies ten opsigte van strategie eerder as verskille met betrekking tot die waardes wat die lewering van onderwys in Lesotho beheer. Die fokus op onderwys in Lesotho het gerig gebly op 'n elitistiese en uitwaartse invloedryke minderheid wat ingeskakel het by die verwerwing van 'n Westerse soort onderwys wat deur Westerse waardes gedryf word. Lesse en geleenthede wat uit prekoloniale Sothoonderwyservaringe geleer kon word en wat as demokraties beskou kon word, het verlore gegaan. Myns insiens moet 'n demokraties-gedrewe onderwysstelsel sy inspirasie uit die beginsels van demokratiese onderwys kan put. 'n Doeltreffende en transformasionele onderwysstelsel vereis die verbintenis van diegene aan die roer van sake ten opsigte van leierskap in die gemeenskap sowel as diegene in beheer van onderwys. Hierdie verbintenis moet getemper word deur 'n behoefte aan die implementering van onderwys wat mense se wêreldbeskouing op kwalitatiewe wyse transformeer ten einde hulle in diens te stel van hulle nasie en die mense. Die waarde van onderwys in Lesotho kan slegs gesien word wanneer dit in staat is om mans en vroue van die hoogste integriteit, eerlikheid, verdraagsaamheid, verantwoordelikheid en aanspreeklikheid te lewer - hardwerkende, patriotiese, goedgemanierde mense wat daaraan toegewy is om hulle samelewing te dien. Onderwys behoort in staat te wees om 'n ieder en 'n elk toe te rus om op betekenisvolle wyse tot die ontwikkeling van die nasie by te dra. Laastens, die onderrig van "dik" demokratiese eienskappe moet gebou word op die basis van 'n suksesvolle onderwysstelsel in Lesotho vanaf die laagste klasse of grade. SLEUTELWOORDE: Gratis en verpligte onderwys, demokratiese onderwys, kwaliteit onderwys, gelyke onderwys, "dik" en "dun" demokrasie in Lesotho.

M.Ed. / The problem of truancy is causing a great deal of concern for the communities, for the state, for the family and for the school. The number of students who deliberately stay away from school on certain occasions is on the increase. The fact that absenteeism and truancy have become significant predictors of problem behaviour, troublesomeness and sometimes delinquency in secondary schools, makes it even more vital that the problem of truancy needs to be addressed with the urgency that it deserves. Up to now, very little is known about the contribution made by the curriculum content towards truancy. The structure of the curriculum, methods of instruction, the timetable, examination pressures and extramural activities are some of the possible causes of truancy. School rules, teacher attitude and teacher expectations are also among some of the contributing factors to absenteeism. The purpose of this research, therefore, is to attempt to find out if the curriculum content plays any part in curbing the problem of truancy, and to ascertain if there is a possible contribution of the curriculum content towards truancy. It is also one of the fundamental aims of this survey to learn more about the value orientations of children who do not attend school regularly and to establish curriculum changes that might be needed to alleviate the problem of truancy. In order to investigate the possible contributions made by the curriculum content, and the perceptions of black truants of their schooling, a two-part methodology was devised. In the first place, a questionnaire was formulated and a pilot study was conducted at a school that was not part of the target group. A survey was subsequently carried out at three Mamelodi high schools. The data from the questionnaire were analysed using the first and second order factor analyses, and even a discriminate analysis was applied on the data. The following format has been used in the presentation of the results. First, the findings from the literature study are discussed, and then results obtained from the empirical study are also outlined. From the literature study it was found that the content of the curriculum does not satisfy the needs of the individual student and can therefore lead to truancy. The schools' system such as school rules, timetables, language and methods of instruction sometimes demotivate students from attending school regularly. Teachers and family members also play a role in discouraging students from seeing any value in attending school. The following statistically significant differences were found after the analysis of the respondents' estimates of the applicability of the statements in the literature study as reflected in the questionnaire. If students had a choice, more truants than non-truants would stay away from school. More truants find school and school activities less interesting and most do not know what they want to do with their lives after completing school. More truants than nontruants find school irrelevant and school subjects less important and of less value to their future aspirations. It is against this background that one can conclude that indeed the school curriculum content does not help much in curbing the problem of truancy.