The school attendance problem in Japanese compulsory education: the case of a public junior high school

The purpose of this study was to collect accurate data on the School Attendance Problem (SAP) in Japan at a local level while using an explicit definition of legitimate attendance. Attendance data on 35 students at a junior high school (M=13.9 years, SD=0.9) were extracted and 11 fundamental factors related to SAP were examined. The analysis showed that the number of absences in the previous year was a strong predictor of SAP in the current year; that more than 90% of the subjects did not take advantage of special institutions; that parents’s attitude was a significant predictor of the prolongation of SAP; and that school withdrawal type (SW) was the most common form of SAP. Regardless of their attendance record or academic performance, all SAP students were advanced to the next grade at the end of the school year. Close cooperation between parents and school is identified as a key factor in addressing SAP. To give effective support to SAP students in Japan, it is necessary to review aspects of the educational system that may be encouraging students not to attend school.