Date of Conferral

3-28-2025

Date of Award

March 2025

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Maureen Ellis

Abstract

A rural school in a large district in the south-central United States experienced higher absentee rates for students with disabilities than for students in traditional courses. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore Title I special education teachers’ perspectives about the reasons for chronic absenteeism and barriers affecting attendance of students with disabilities. Guided by Bandura’s social learning theory, which highlights how social contexts influence children’s learning behaviors and actions, suggests that children observe others’ actions and mentally process whether they are appropriate or not, this study explored perceived reasons and barriers for chronic absenteeism among students with disabilities. Data were collected through semistructured one-on-one interviews with 9 Title I special education teachers from the school district. Using a snowball sampling approach, teachers were recruited using purposive sampling to achieve data saturation. Data were analyzed to identify codes and 7 themes emerged: (a) students’ health and well-being in education, (b) poor school infrastructures, (c) parental neglect and its impact on child development, (d) students’ personal challenges, (e) financial struggle and work-life balance barriers, (f) interpersonal and health challenges, and (g) inadequate resources in schools hindering accessibility. A policy recommendation addressing chronic absenteeism for students with disabilities was developed to create a supportive and inclusive environment for student success. The results inform school policies and professional development programs emphasizing family–school collaboration, offer evidence-based strategies reducing absenteeism, and utilize data driven decision-making when addressing absenteeism.

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