The Exploration of Multiple Perspectives and Practical Approaches for Governing Class Absen-teeism in Higher Education

Abstract

With the development of higher education, class absenteeism in universities has become a significant issue affecting teaching quality. Among the various forms of absenteeism, overt absenteeism, and covert absenteeism are the two main types, each with distinct characteristics and governance challenges. Traditional class-room management methods are particularly inadequate when addressing covert absenteeism, highlighting the need for new governance approaches. This study adopts a multi-dimensional perspective to thoroughly analyze the causes and impacts of overt and covert absenteeism, proposing a series of targeted governance strategies. By considering various factors, including student behavior, teaching management, course design, and information technology, this paper explores paths to building an effective governance system, including improving attendance systems, enhancing classroom interactivity, optimizing course structure and teaching methods, and strengthening the use of information technology. The research aims to provide more precise and practical solutions for university classroom education management, offering theoretical support and practical insights for improving the quality of higher education.

Headnote

Abstract

With the development of higher education, class absenteeism in universities has become a significant issue affecting teaching quality. Among the various forms of absenteeism, overt absenteeism, and covert absenteeism are the two main types, each with distinct characteristics and governance challenges. Traditional class-room management methods are particularly inadequate when addressing covert absenteeism, highlighting the need for new governance approaches. This study adopts a multi-dimensional perspective to thoroughly analyze the causes and impacts of overt and covert absenteeism, proposing a series of targeted governance strategies. By considering various factors, including student behavior, teaching management, course design, and information technology, this paper explores paths to building an effective governance system, including improving attendance systems, enhancing classroom interactivity, optimizing course structure and teaching methods, and strengthening the use of information technology. The research aims to provide more precise and practical solutions for university classroom education management, offering theoretical support and practical insights for improving the quality of higher education.

Keywords

University Classroom; Overt Absenteeism; Covert Absenteeism; Educational Management

With the rapid development of higher education and the gradual expansion of university enrollment, the number of uni-versity students has continued to increase. The shift from elitist to mass education has brought new challenges in educa-tional resource allocation and teaching management. In this process, student classroom behaviors have undergone significant changes, with absenteeism, particularly covert absenteeism, becoming more prominent. On the one hand, the popu-larization of higher education has led to the diversification of student academic backgrounds, learning motivations, and abilities. Some students lack clear learning goals and have insufficient interest in classroom learning, which can easily result in absenteeism. On the other hand, the teaching content and methods have not fully adapted to the diverse needs of students. The traditional teacher-centered teaching model lacks appeal, reducing the attractiveness of the classroom and providing an incentive for absenteeism (Moores, E., Birdi, G. K., & Higson, H. E., 2019). Moreover, the development of modern information technology and the proliferation of digital resources have provided students with convenient access to knowledge outside the classroom, exacerbating the issue of covert absenteeism. While the development of higher ed-ucation has improved the overall education level, it has also made absenteeism more complex, necessitating the explora-tion of effective governance strategies from multiple perspectives.

1. Current Status of Class Attendance Among University Students

In recent years, the issue of class attendance among university students has received increasing attention, with both overt and covert absenteeism showing an upward trend. According to survey data from a university in Hubei, China, approxi-mately 20%-30% of students engage in overt absenteeism at least once per semester, meaning they skip classes without prior leave or explanation. These students typically skip class due to a lack of interest in the course, scheduling conflicts, or personal matters (Durborow, A., 2017).

In contrast, covert absenteeism is more widespread and covert. Surveys indicate that over 40% of students exhibit covert absenteeism behaviors in the classroom, such as being distracted, lacking engagement, or engaging in non-aca-demic activities (e.g., checking phones, playing games, chatting). Notably, the rate of covert absenteeism in information technology-intensive courses exceeds 50%. This highlights the more subtle and pervasive nature of covert absenteeism, which can have a significant impact on student learning outcomes despite physical attendance.

2. Characteristics of Overt Absenteeism and Covert Absenteeism

2.1 Characteristics of Overt Absenteeism

(1) Behavior is Visible and Observable: Overt absenteeism is characterized by students skipping class without prior leave or explanation. This behavior is straightforward and easy to identify, making it simple to track and quantify.

(2) Often Due to Personal Factors: Overt absenteeism is typically linked to a lack of motivation, disinterest in the course material, conflicts with extracurricular activities, or personal matters that lead students to miss class.

(3) Closely Related to the Assessment System: Overt absenteeism tends to occur more frequently when there is a low correlation between class attendance and academic performance, or when the monitoring system is not strict. In such cases, students are more likely to skip classes without facing significant academic consequences.

(4) Direct Impact on Classroom Order: Overt absenteeism directly affects attendance rates, which can disrupt the overall learning environment. Additionally, it can negatively impact the learning atmosphere for other students and diminish the instructor's enthusiasm for teaching (Bergin, J. & Ferrara, L., 2019).

2.2 Characteristics of Covert Absenteeism

(1) High Degree of Concealment: Covert absenteeism is characterized by students being physically present in the class-room but displaying low levels of attention and participation. This is often manifested through activities such as play-ing with smartphones, daydreaming, or engaging in unrelated conversations. It is difficult to detect covert absenteeism through attendance alone.

(2) Often Triggered by External Distractions: Students are frequently influenced by external distractions such as smartphones and social media, which undermine their ability to focus on the course material.

(3) Closely Linked to the Appeal of Teaching: The occurrence of covert absenteeism is often related to dull course content, a monotonous teaching style, and poor classroom interactivity. When students do not find the class engaging or interactive, they are more likely to mentally disengage.

(4) Long-Term Impact on Teaching Quality: Although students may appear to be attending class, their actual learning outcomes are often poor. This undermines the achievement of teaching objectives and poses a potential threat to the overall academic atmosphere and learning culture within the classroom.

3. The Harmfulness of Class Absenteeism

The widespread phenomenon of class absenteeism, whether overt or covert, has a profound negative impact on the quality of higher education, student development, and overall institutional management. While each type of absenteeism has its own distinct harms, they also share certain commonalities in terms of their detrimental effects.

Overt absenteeism primarily harms the direct effectiveness of classroom teaching. Students who skip class miss out on the systematic learning of course content, leading to a severe disruption in their knowledge acquisition and skill develop-ment. Over time, this may result in incomplete knowledge structures, declining academic performance, and, in severe cases, failure to meet graduation or degree requirements. Furthermore, overt absenteeism disrupts classroom order, af-fecting both the teacher's enthusiasm and the learning atmosphere for other students. When overt absenteeism becomes widespread, it can create a negative group dynamic, further eroding the overall campus culture (Kearney, C. A., Benoit, L., & Gonzálvez, C., 2022).

In contrast, covert absenteeism is more subtle but has a deeper and longer-lasting impact. Students who exhibit covert absenteeism are physically present in class but lack genuine engagement and participation. This "body present, mind absent" phenomenon not only weakens the immediate effectiveness of classroom learning but can also disrupt the overall class environment, negatively affecting the teacher's ability to deliver lessons and other students' learning experiences. Covert absenteeism often manifests as distractions, such as checking smartphones or engaging in unrelated activities, making it difficult to achieve the intended learning outcomes. Additionally, the long-term presence of covert absenteeism can undermine students' self-discipline and learning habits, hindering their overall development.

4. Governance Measures for Class Absenteeism in Higher Education

To reduce classroom absenteeism, universities need to take targeted measures from both the administrative and teaching perspectives, addressing both overt and covert absenteeism, and establishing a comprehensive and effective governance system.

4.1 Administrative Management Measures for Overt Absenteeism

Overt absenteeism is the most direct issue in classroom management, as it has a direct impact on classroom order and teaching effectiveness. To address overt absenteeism, university administrative departments should take a comprehensive approach from aspects such as institutional construction, technological methods, and supervision and feedback, in order to establish a full-scale governance mechanism.

4.1.1 Improving Attendance Management System and Strengthening Standardized Management

Classroom attendance management is a core component of university teaching management, directly related to maintain-ing teaching order, enhancing teaching quality, and effectively evaluating students' academic performance. Therefore, establishing a well-rounded attendance management system and linking students' attendance rates to course evaluations and credit acquisition is one of the key measures to reduce class absenteeism and improve classroom teaching effective-ness (Al-Shammari, Z. N., 2016). Universities should incorporate attendance management into the teaching management framework by improving course syllabi and clearly defining attendance requirements. Students' attendance rates should be linked to course evaluations and credit attainment. For example, it could be stipulated that students must attend at least a certain percentage of classes (such as 80% or 90%) to earn course credits. Furthermore, the handling of unexcused absences should be clearly defined, including measures such as deducting participation grades, providing warning educa-tion, or even affecting graduation eligibility. Through these institutional constraints, students' awareness of the importance of class attendance can be significantly increased.

4.1.2 Introducing Intelligent Attendance Technologies to Improve Management Efficiency

Traditional manual roll-call methods are not only time-consuming and labor-intensive but also have inherent flaws that compromise the accuracy and completeness of attendance data. This issue is particularly pronounced in large lecture classes with more than 100 students, where manual attendance is prone to oversight or human error, making it difficult to achieve precise and comprehensive records. To enhance the efficiency and accuracy of attendance management, univer-sities can leverage modern information technology, introducing intelligent attendance systems such as facial recognition, mobile location-based check-in applications, and electronic classroom check-in devices. These technological tools can significantly improve attendance accuracy by ensuring that the attendance of each student is recorded and monitored in real time. For instance, after implementing a facial recognition attendance system, a university reported an increase in classroom attendance accuracy to over 98%, effectively reducing issues such as proxy signing and missed check-ins. Moreover, these intelligent systems not only enhance the precision of attendance tracking but also generate detailed real-time attendance data, offering convenient query and analysis capabilities through data platforms for management depart-ments. By tracking students' attendance in real time, academic administration can quickly identify potential problems and intervene promptly (Tata Sutabri, T. S. & Pamungkur, P., 2019). This technology-based attendance management system not only enhances transparency and fairness in the process but also provides reliable data support for subsequent teaching management and academic culture development, thereby effectively reducing classroom absenteeism and improving classroom order and the academic atmosphere.

4.1.3 Establishing Dynamic Supervision and Feedback Mechanisms to Strengthen Behavioral Management

The administrative department can regularly compile and disclose course attendance data, providing feedback to instruc-tors, academic counselors, and students themselves. Instructors can use this data to adjust teaching strategies and enhance course attractiveness, while academic counselors can monitor student attitudes and conduct timely interviews with stu-dents with low attendance. Furthermore, the administrative department can establish special academic integrity supervision teams to conduct random classroom visits, check student attendance, and ensure timely feedback and correc-tive measures for courses with high absenteeism rates.

4.1.4 Creating a Positive and Motivating Learning Environment Is One of the Key Strategies to Encourage Stu-dents' Active Participation in Class

The academic affairs department can organize a series of themed activities, such as "Academic Atmosphere Building Month" or "Classroom Attendance Competitions," to reinforce students' awareness of the importance of classroom at-tendance. These activities not only enhance attendance rates but also stimulate students' sense of collective honor and belonging (Lassiter-Dennis, J., 2020). For example, the academic affairs department can regularly select and publicly recognize outstanding classes and students with high attendance rates, encouraging other students to emulate these high-achieving groups. Through this positive incentive mechanism, students, in pursuit of personal achievement and class honors, naturally increase their classroom attendance, fostering a healthy competitive atmosphere. Meanwhile, the aca-demic affairs department can establish an "Attendance Star" award, linking students' attendance performance to annual scholarships, further motivating students to engage in their studies. Through a variety of rich and diverse incentives, students not only experience personal and collective honor but also enhance their enthusiasm for learning, ultimately promoting higher classroom attendance rates and contributing to the construction of a positive academic culture.

4.2 Governance of Covert Absenteeism Through Teaching Methods

Covert absenteeism poses a potential threat to the achievement of classroom teaching objectives. As the direct imple-menters of classroom instruction, teachers should effectively reduce covert absenteeism by enhancing teaching quality, optimizing classroom management, and strengthening teacher-student interaction.

(1) Optimize Instructional Design to Enhance Classroom Appeal: Teachers should tailor teaching content and methods to suit the characteristics of the course and meet students' interests and needs. For instance, integrating case analysis, situational simulations, or problem-based learning (PBL) into course design allows students to "learn by doing," en-hancing the perceived value of knowledge. In particularly theoretical courses, flipping the classroom can be an effec-tive approach, where students complete foundational knowledge through pre-study, and class time focuses on applying knowledge and in-depth discussions. This instructional design significantly increases student engagement and reduces distractions.

(2) Strengthen Classroom Interaction and Student Participation: Covert absenteeism often stems from students' lack of involvement in class. Teachers should use diverse interactive methods to spark students' interest. For example, real-time response tools, such as online polls or classroom quizzes, can be incorporated into the course, and activities like group discussions and presentations can encourage active participation. Additionally, teachers should design appro-priate classroom tasks and include students' participation in regular assessments, guiding them to engage more actively through institutional measures. For instance, using classroom discussions and impromptu Q&A as assessment indicators helps teachers track students' learning status and encourage sustained attention.

(3) Address Students' Learning Needs with Personalized Guidance: Covert absenteeism is closely linked to students' re-ceptiveness to and interest in the course content. Teachers should pay attention to student feedback and adjust teaching pace and difficulty based on their background, interests, and comprehension levels. For example, pre-class surveys or feedback tools can help identify students' learning needs, enabling teachers to focus on areas with more questions or greater interest. Furthermore, teachers can offer individual support through after-class consultations or email communications with students who demonstrate covert absenteeism, helping them address the reasons for their distracted attention and providing tailored study advice.

(4) Leverage Information Technology to Enhance Teaching Monitoring and Feedback: Teachers can use smart classroom platforms or learning management systems (LMS) to monitor students' classroom participation in real time (Muresh-erwa, G., & Bama, H. K. N., 2024). For example, tracking students' quiz responses, study time, and attention levels through classroom management systems can help identify covert absenteeism and allow for timely interventions. Moreover, teachers can analyze teaching data to dynamically assess students' learning behaviors, providing valuable data to improve instructional strategies.

5. Conclusion

Classroom absenteeism is a pressing issue in current higher education that requires urgent attention. Both overt and covert absenteeism negatively impact classroom teaching quality, campus culture, and the overall development of students. Ad-dressing overt and covert absenteeism requires a collaborative effort across all levels of the university, with institutional constraints serving as safeguards and educational reforms driving improvements. Tailored measures should be developed based on student's individual needs. Through the combined efforts of administrative departments and teachers, absentee-ism can not only be curbed but classroom teaching quality can also be significantly enhanced, providing a solid foundation for universities to achieve their talent cultivation goals.

Furthermore, this governance process offers important insights into the ongoing teaching reforms in higher education. Moving forward, universities must continue to monitor new changes in student learning behaviors, leveraging big data analysis and smart educational technologies to dynamically optimize classroom management strategies and address emerging absenteeism patterns. By building a high-quality classroom teaching ecosystem, universities can both enhance student learning outcomes and make greater contributions to fostering a strong academic culture and cultivating well-rounded, high-quality talent.

Funding

This paper is supported by the 2024 Teaching Research Project of the Medical School, Wuhan University (2024YB42).

References

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