Student absenteeism is often attributed to a variety of external factors which we as teachers have little or no control of and often times leave to administration to deal with. However, we as teachers have the potential to enact change in our own classroom in motivating more students to come to class and participate in the various facets of learning. In this study, I implement four different instructional strategies – group activities, games, incentives, and projects – and measure their efficacy in increasing student attendance and participation during my first period class at MAAC Charter School.
