Absent on Absenteeism - Academic Silence on Student Absenteeism in Canadian Education

Oct 15, 2026

Mandatory school attendance policies in Canada coexist with frequent student absence, which is associated with multiple negative educational outcomes and is increasingly recognized internationally. Universities have investigated factors linked to absenteeism, yet Canadian education discourse remains largely silent on the topic. A review of faculty profiles shows no Canadian education scholar treats student absenteeism as a primary research focus, limiting empirical knowledge and contributing to high absence levels.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Literature Review

Absent on Absenteeism: Academic Silence on Student Absenteeism in Canadian Education Anton Birioukov University of Ottawa Abstract Despite mandatory school attendance policies, many students in Canada are frequently absent from school. Absenteeism is linked to numerous negative educational outcomes and is a growing educational issue internationally. This has lead universities in many countries to study the factors associated with absenteeism in order to reduce it. However, the Canadian educational discourse is largely absent on absenteeism. Areview of faculty profiles revealed that no Canadian educational scholar investigates absenteeism as their primary area of research. The lack of empirical knowledge concerning student absenteeism is a contributing factor to the high levels of absenteeism evident in Canada. This article serves as a call to action for Canadian academics to research student absenteeism in order to alleviate the behaviour. Keywords: school attendance, student absenteeism, truancy, school refusal, school anxiety, school withdrawal Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l’éducation 44:3 (2021)©2021 Canadian Society for the Study of Education/ Société canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation [www.cje-rce.ca](www.cje-rce.ca) Résumé Bien que la fréquentation scolaire soit obligatoire et légalement requise dans chaque province et territoire canadien, de nombreux étudiants sont fréquemment absents de l’école. L’absentéisme est lié à plusieurs mauvais résultats scolaires et constitue un problème croissant à l’échelle internationale. Cela a incité les universités de nombreux pays à étudier les facteurs associés à l’absentéisme afin de le réduire. Cependant, le Canada semble absent des discours éducatifs concernant l’absentéisme scolaire. Un examen des profils des professeurs révèle qu’aucun spécialiste canadien de l’éducation n’étudie l’absentéismecomme principal sujet de recherche. Le manque de connaissances empiriques sur le sujet est un facteur contribuant à l’absentéisme élevé observé au Canada. Cet article lance un appel aux chercheurs canadiens afin qu’ils étudient l’absentéisme des étudiants afin de contribuer à réduire ces comportements. Mots-clés : fréquentation scolaire, absentéisme, absences des étudiants, abandon scolaire, anxiété à l’école, décrochage Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l’éducation 44:3 (2021) [www.cje-rce.ca](www.cje-rce.ca) Introduction Every Canadian province and territory has enacted compulsory school attendance legislation stipulating that all school-aged children must attend school on a daily basis (Oreopoulos, 2005). Yet, thousands of kids in Canada are absent from school every day. While exact absenteeism numbers in Canada are not collected, 23.2% of Canadian students sampled in the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reported skipping school at least once in the two weeks prior to the assessment (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2019). Attendance rates released by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education (2019) provide similar findings, with 23.9% ofK–12 public school students missing more than 20% of their classes. This is a troubling development, as absenteeism has been linked with numerous negative outcomes for the absent student, their family and school, and the wider society. Hence, absenteeism is more than simply “skipping school,” and has much broader and worrisome repercussions—to which Canada’s education-oriented academics have yet to respond. Literature Review Student absenteeism can be defined as a part-or full-day absence from school that is or is not condoned by the student’s school and/or family. Absenteeism is caused by many factors, including: the student (e.g., lack of interest in school, health issues), the home (e.g., familial neglect, lack of support in schooling), the school (e.g., poor school climate, unmet educational needs), and society (e.g., poverty) (Reid,

FAQs

How is student absenteeism defined in the article?

It is defined as part- or full-day absence from school that may or may not be condoned by the student’s school and/or family.

What causes are linked to student absenteeism?

The article groups causes into student factors (e.g., lack of interest, health issues), home factors (e.g., neglect, lack of support), school factors (e.g., poor climate, unmet needs), and society factors (e.g., poverty).

Why does absenteeism matter beyond the student?

The consequences extend to families through conflict with schools, home visits by school or district personnel, parental training, and other institutional responses, not only effects on learning.

Oct 15, 2026

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