Absenteeism at National School - Educational, Medical and Social Aspects

This study of a small sample of national school absentees suggests that such absentees are characterised by high levels of economic and emotional insecurity, and by educational retardation. It thus supports the control theory of deviance in so far as this holds that deviance results from the lack of a stake in society. Of the different sets of factors involved, educational, medical and social, social factors are shown to be of the greatest significance. In a more precise sense, control theory is not, however, confirmed. Evidence from this study suggests the existence of a group of over-conforming children, who by definition are those that would be most rewarded by society, and therefore attached to its norms, who are liable to be extreme non-attenders. The suggestion is therefore put forward that control theory, in so far as it reduces to a conditioning or learning paradigm of behaviour, is inadequate.