How Behavior and Motivation Mediate the Impact of School Absences on Achievement

This study investigates the mediating role of psychosocial factors, including behaviors and motivations, in the association between school absences and academic achievement. Using comprehensive longitudinal data from England, linking National Pupil Database (NPD) school register data with Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) survey data (N=7,204), the analysis explores the impact of absences at ages 12/13 on standardized tests at 16, and the extent to which psychosocial factors mediate these associations. The findings show that behavioral and motivational factors at age 14 partially mediate the adverse effect of school absences on achievement. Regarding behaviors, school absences negatively impact achievement through an increase in externalizing and risky behaviors, while prosocial behavior was not a significant mediator of this association. Regarding motivation, absences negatively influence achievement by reducing students' educational motivation. Self-esteem, however, did not mediate the association. These findings were replicated using comparable data and analytic methods for Wales, indicating external validity of our results. The study emphasizes the importance of reducing school absences for both academic achievement and psychosocial development. It also calls for targeted interventions addressing externalizing behavior, risky behavior, and educational motivation to effectively mitigate the negative impact of school absences on academic achievement.