School Attendance: Enablers & Barriers

Abstract

Attendance data alone offers an incomplete picture of the factors that influence school attendance. Our findings highlight that young people bring a unique perspective to understanding enablers and barriers – perspectives that often diverge from those of parents, educators and policymakers. Seeing friends, learning, preparing for the future and fulfilling parent expectations were some of the key motivators for young people to attend school. While most rangatahi felt happy about school, many think the education system does not work for everyone. Those who found it hard to go to school were more likely to report peer problems and feeling stressed, worried, and overwhelmed. Our rangatahi have clear and important ideas about improving school experiences, including fostering school environments that can support, inspire, and help young people to build meaningful connections with each other, their teachers, and their learning.