Schulverweigerung

The aim of this article is to describe the extent of truancy in Cologne and to identify the relevant predictors. Hypotheses are deduced from classical deviance theories (control theory, amomy theory, theory of urban subcultures) and tested empirically. Our analysis is based on a survey of pupils in Cologne from grade 8 to 10 which was conducted in 1999 by the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law in Freiburg. Our results show that 7.9 percent of all respondends can be defined as truants. Boys play truant more than girls, and the higher the age, the more pupils bunk off school. More important than gender and age is the type of secondary school. We find the highest amount of truants at Hauptschulen and Sonderschulen. It is shown that truancy is a multidimensional phenomenon that cannot be explained by just one single theory.