Student attitudes about class absences, class attendance, and requiring attendance at Virginia Tech

Seventy-nine undergraduate students were interviewed in February, 1992, to determine attitudes about class attendance, class absences, and required attendance. Three hundred undergraduates were selected in a random sample; seventy-nine attended one of the six group interview sessions.

The reasons students gave for skipping classes included being lazy or tired, dislike of the professor, material for the class was seen as unimportant, bad or nice weather, early morning or late afternoon and evening classes (too tired), or having other things to do (sometimes work for another class). Class size also was discussed as having impact on skipping.