ERIC Number: EJ1100991
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Apr
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0161-1461
EISSN: N/A
Secondary School Teachers' Beliefs, Attitudes, and Reactions to Stuttering
Adriaensens, Stefanie; Struyf, Elke
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, v47 n2 p135-147 Apr 2016
Purpose: The study identifies teachers' beliefs about and attitudes toward stuttering and explores to what extent these beliefs and attitudes prompt specific teachers' reactions to the stuttering of a student. Method: Participants were teachers in secondary education in Flanders (Belgium), currently teaching an adolescent who stutters. They were the student's class teacher or instructed a course in which communication is important. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed thematically. Results: Teachers believed that (a) when peers do not react to the stuttering, the lesson is not disrupted by it, and the student who stutters participates in the lesson, stuttering is not necessarily a problem; (b) when attention is paid to it, stuttering can become a problem; (c) they try to react as little as possible to the stuttering; and (d) they seldom talk about the stuttering. Conclusion: Although teachers reported that they feel confident in how to deal with stuttering, and although it is possible that students who stutter do not feel the need to talk about their stuttering, teachers could consult their students on this matter. This way, they would acknowledge the stuttering and likely encourage the students to approach them when they feel the need.
Descriptors: Stuttering, Secondary School Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Attitudes toward Disabilities, Secondary School Students, Foreign Countries, Adolescents, Semi Structured Interviews, Peer Influence, Classroom Environment, Classroom Techniques
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: lshss@asha.org; Web site: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Belgium
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A