Class Attendance in Undergraduate Courses

ABSTRACT

Many college instructors complain about class attendance, but few data have been gathered on when and why students miss class. In this study, I examined class attendance in 17 sections of undergraduate psychology classes and found that class attendance decreased from the beginning to the end of the semester and that attendance displayed moderate correlations with course grades. I also found that students missed classes most frequently because of the time needed to complete other course work, because the classes were boring, because of illness, and because classes interfered with their social life. Finally, I have attempted to explain attendance behavior in terms of self-regulatory theory.