Being a square among circles -  The Role of Hope in Expanding the Conceptualization of School Attendance Problems: A Poetic Inquiry Approach using Qualitative Interviews with Youth

Being a square among circles - The Role of Hope in Expanding the Conceptualization of School Attendance Problems: A Poetic Inquiry Approach using Qualitative Interviews with Youth | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Being a square among circles - The Role of Hope in Expanding the Conceptualization of School Attendance Problems: A Poetic Inquiry Approach using Qualitative Interviews with Youth Wilma Gitte Walther-Hansen, Frederikke Skaaning Knage, Carolyn Gentle-Genitty This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4276942/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 13 Dec, 2024 Read the published version in Human Arenas → Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This article calls for an expansion of the conceptualization of school attendance problems (SAPs). It offers a practical phenomenological exploration (Van Manen, 2007a ; 2014 ) using youths' lived experiences. Attention is paid to the bodily reactions and emotions in student narratives. Our goal is to aid research on prolonged absences from school by promoting studies that encourage teachers to investigate school cultures and climates (Smyth & Hattam, 2004 ; Hendron & Kearney, 2016). School personnel play essential roles in preventing and handling SAPs within classrooms and in creating situated pathways among stakeholders. We conducted interviews with nine students to learn about what makes youths go to school or not. We used quotes from the interviews to make goals for understanding SAPs in schools. Using poetic inquiry (Faulkner, 2009 , 2020 ; Galvin, 2016 ; Davis, 2021 ) as a qualitative method, we offer bodily and sense-based perceptions to understand SAPs. The poems attempt to capture youth’s non-verbalized experiences with prolonged school absences. The results offer help to youths, schools, and professionals in how to build connections and offer hope. The role of hope was essential for students continuing to post-secondary education. Additionally, our results emphasize the need to include factors of belonging (Akar-Vural et al., 2013 ; Baker & Bishop, 2015 ; Allen & Boyle, 2018 ) within the classroom community for early intervention. Thereby increasing attendance, resilience, and long-term engagement in post-secondary education. School Attendance Problems Poetic Inquiry Qualitative Research Hermeneutic-phenomenology Hope Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 13 Dec, 2024 Read the published version in Human Arenas → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 09 Nov, 2024 Reviews received at journal 09 Nov, 2024 Reviews received at journal 22 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Sep, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 23 Apr, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 23 Apr, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 23 Apr, 2024 First submitted to journal 16 Apr, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4276942","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":296429943,"identity":"bb0e813f-2033-41b9-95c6-fe50a4de913d","order_by":0,"name":"Wilma Gitte Walther-Hansen","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAuklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACNoYPBgkwdgIehUhaGGeQrIWZh4EULQbn15g9tilIy2NgP/xMgqEsjQgtN96YG+cY5BQz8KSZSTCcyyGsxezG2W3SOQYViQ0MCWYSjG0VRGqxAGnhf/6NSC3ne7dJMxjkJDZI5IBsIcJh9jf4v0n2GKQVs0m8KbZIOEeE9yX7j6VJ/PiTnMfPn77xxoeyZMJaGCQSwFQCG5gkQgMDA/8BBuIVj4JRMApGwcgEAMKONoPubm0YAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Aalborg University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Wilma","middleName":"Gitte","lastName":"Walther-Hansen","suffix":""},{"id":296429944,"identity":"dd9d9cb5-da2e-4756-9c77-8f3eb9d2171e","order_by":1,"name":"Frederikke Skaaning Knage","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Aarhus University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Frederikke","middleName":"Skaaning","lastName":"Knage","suffix":""},{"id":296429945,"identity":"743897e1-c896-4ebb-b902-df3405790ff0","order_by":2,"name":"Carolyn Gentle-Genitty","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Indiana University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Carolyn","middleName":"","lastName":"Gentle-Genitty","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-04-16 15:06:19","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4276942/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4276942/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s42087-024-00462-x","type":"published","date":"2024-12-13T15:56:57+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":71552337,"identity":"22d06440-59b0-4d45-9d99-5d2ee30c6819","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-12-16 16:04:23","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":336961,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"HumanArenasFinalManus23.4.24.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4276942/v1_covered_6410ab49-fa59-4bd8-a14e-204c966afbc9.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Being a square among circles - The Role of Hope in Expanding the Conceptualization of School Attendance Problems: A Poetic Inquiry Approach using Qualitative Interviews with Youth","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"human-arenas","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"huar","sideBox":"Learn more about [Human Arenas](http://link.springer.com/journal/42087)","snPcode":"42087","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/42087/3","title":"Human Arenas","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"School Attendance Problems, Poetic Inquiry, Qualitative Research, Hermeneutic-phenomenology, Hope","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4276942/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4276942/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis article calls for an expansion of the conceptualization of school attendance problems (SAPs). It offers a practical phenomenological exploration (Van Manen, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007a\u003c/span\u003e; \u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e) using youths' lived experiences. Attention is paid to the bodily reactions and emotions in student narratives. Our goal is to aid research on prolonged absences from school by promoting studies that encourage teachers to investigate school cultures and climates (Smyth \u0026amp; Hattam, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e; Hendron \u0026amp; Kearney, 2016). School personnel play essential roles in preventing and handling SAPs within classrooms and in creating situated pathways among stakeholders.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe conducted interviews with nine students to learn about what makes youths go to school or not. We used quotes from the interviews to make goals for understanding SAPs in schools. Using poetic inquiry (Faulkner, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Galvin, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Davis, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) as a qualitative method, we offer bodily and sense-based perceptions to understand SAPs. The poems attempt to capture youth\u0026rsquo;s non-verbalized experiences with prolonged school absences. The results offer help to youths, schools, and professionals in how to build connections and offer hope. The role of hope was essential for students continuing to post-secondary education. Additionally, our results emphasize the need to include factors of belonging (Akar-Vural et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Baker \u0026amp; Bishop, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Allen \u0026amp; Boyle, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) within the classroom community for early intervention. 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