Exploring the Role of School Mobility in Children's Absenteeism During Early Elementary School

• In Event: Contemporary Issues in Developmental Psychology

Abstract

Unpacking predictors of school absenteeism can support policies and practices that reduce current levels of absenteeism. Using a sample of 349 children in early elementary school, the present study estimates the association between moving schools and unexcused absences in the following academic year and explores the role of instability (i.e., family transitions, chronic school moves) as moderators. Leveraging child fixed-effects models, moving schools did not independently predict levels of absences. However, it was predictive of absences in the context of simultaneous shifts in children’s family context and repeated shifts in children’s school contexts over time, highlighting the negative role of school moves when coupled with other forms of instability. This paper also discusses potential policy and practice implications.

Author

• Wendy Wei, Harvard University