School Perceptions of Truant Adolescent Girls

Due to increased misbehavior by girls there is a growing need to understand these students. Knowing how behavior-problem girls perceive school is necessary for effective educational programming. To investigate these perceptions, 15 truant junior-high school girls were interviewed in-depth. Their responses were compared to those of 15 nontruant girls and 15 truant boys. The truant girls moderately disliked school and found teachers to be unfair and excessively concerned with minor rules. Consistently, the truant girls showed less negative perceptions and less asocial behavior than the boys. The girls also differed by being more variable in behavior and attitudes. The girls more often than the boys appeared to have personal conflicts which accentuate school problems. It is suggested that schools should view truancy as a coping mechanism for avoiding discomfort in school, and that behavior-problem girls should be dealt with in an individualized manner.