Abstract
Some researchers suggest that 'Truancy' amongst delinquent students has been marginalized in the context of 'school non-attendance' (SNA), but they have failed to explain how this concept gained prevalence. By comparing several social movements that took place after the 1991 KAZENOKO GAKUEN incident in which two 'Truant&apos teens were murdered in a SNA support institution and which influenced educational policy, this study examines how media reports represented the concept.
The findings of this study point out that social movements were generally faced with four dilemmas while adapting their tactics to win media attention. Since these dilemmas affected each other, media re-contextualized the concept of SNA in a biased manner. In the media's view, 'Rights of Children' in SNAs was only applicable to those students with a tendency towards absenteeism, and not those students who had been rejected by a school because of their 'Truant' behaviour. This article concludes that it is important for future research to focus on the grey area between 'Truant' school pupils and school non-attendance.
