school meals

This study examined the relationship between pupils’ involvement in school-initiated absenteeism interventions and their academic achievement in Araling Panlipunan in Kadingilan II District, Bukidnon (SY 2019–2020). A descriptive-correlational design was employed involving 101 Grade 4 pupils identified as at risk of dropping out. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire (CVI = 0.89; Cronbach’s α = 0.91) and analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson product–moment correlation. Respondents were predominantly male (65.3%), aged 10–11 years (61.4%), from low-income households (85.1% earning ₱1,000–₱10,999), with parents largely self-employed (92.1%) and with elementary education (80.2%). Pupils reported high involvement in interventions: close-door counseling (M = 4.06), home visits (M = 3.80), CFSS (M = 3.74), and school feeding (M = 4.03), while dormitory involvement was low (M = 1.47). Academic achievement was generally low, with 63% fairly satisfactory (75–79) and 36% satisfactory (80–84). No significant differences were observed across most demographic variables (p > .05), except for dormitory involvement by gender and income (p < .05). Correlation analysis showed no significant relationship between intervention involvement and academic achievement (r = -0.186 to 0.149, p > .05). Findings indicate that while interventions enhance participation, they do not directly predict academic outcomes.