CHILDREN WHO WERE ABSENT FROM SCHOOL - SC HOOL REFUSAL (NON-ATTENDANCE) AND ITS LATENT GROUP IN LONG ABSENCE

The purpose of this study is to investigate, in a certain city, the ac tual number and incidence ratio of long absence and school non-attenda nce on the basis of cumulative guidance records over a 3-year period o f all children, in elementary and junior high schools, who were absent from school for more than thirty days in one school year. The results were as follows : from 1989 to 1991, in total, the incdence ratios of long absence were 1.64%, 1.64%, 1.62% and those of school non-attenda nce were 0.93%, 0. 95%, 0.95% respectively. It was revealed that the r atios of long absence in junior high schools was higher compored to th ose in elementary schools being caused by an increase in school non-at tendance. And it was evidently confirmed that the large number of scho ol non-attendance in this investigation compared to the ''reluctance t o go to school'' in the report of Ministry of Education was caused by an ambiguous definition of the term.