LECTURE, NO THANKS. BEING ON THE TRACK OF ABSENTEEISM: IMPLICATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF UNIVERSITY TEACHING

The aim of the present study was to identify factors that influence students’ attendance of lectures. Previous studies showed a high degree of absenteeism in lectures at German universities. A decline in attendance was observed since the Bologna Process in 1999. Temporal overload of students was suspected as the cause of the rising absenteeism but could not be detected yet. The present study gathered information about the students’ characteristics, general conditions and aspects of didactic quality. Furthermore, reasons for attending or missing a class were investigated. The students could evaluate the lectures and suggest improvements. The data from 1860 students at 42 German universities were collected. Students with better grades and a higher self-control were likely to attend lectures more often. The higher the rate of attendance was, the better was the evaluation of the didactic quality. Furthermore, a higher intrinsic motivation was associated with a higher attendance rate. Moreover, employed students and students who underestimated the negative consequences attended the lectures rarely. Students with higher life satisfaction, students in lower semesters, female students and younger students were more often present. Implications for improving lectures and attendance were derived from students’ answers.