School Phobia Case Study

Situational Analysis School is an agent of socialization as well as institution set up by the society in order to pass knowledge, skills, values, attitudes and other necessary qualities to the younger generations so that they become productive and leaders of tomorrow. Mahuta, (2007) was viewed and is regarded as a school centers that knowledge and it possesses the power to mold and shape the character of individuals in the society. Therefore, it is clear that the school is the backbone and the life wire of a society. In our schools, teaching and learning takes place effectively when there is proper attendance on the part of both staff and students. However, present day students do engage in absenting themselves from school without concrete

The concept "school phobia" describes a learner who is unwilling to attend school and stays at home with the knowledge of parents (Wicks and Nelson, 2000:123). A learner's problem often starts with a vague complaint or reluctance to attend school and progresses to total refusal to go to school. Blagg (l992:121) asserts that school phobia may be induced by fear-arousing aspects of school, such as fear of failure caused by anxiety about meeting the standards. Fear may also be related to worries about the health and welfare of parents (Blagg, 1992:123). On the other hand, a learner who plays truant misses the whole school day or lessons without the knowledge of parents or caregivers. Furthermore, a truant tends to be involved in various forms of anti-social behaviour (Blagg, 1992:121). Milner and Blyth (1999:18) acknowledge the difficulties involved in studying the prevalence and pattern of truancy and in comparing current and past school attendance or absence. The difficulties are partly compounded by the variations in the definition of truancy itself (Boyd, l999:22; Gabb, 1997:2) and the multifaceted nature of truancy (Edward and Malcolm, 2002:1; Reid,