Journal Article

Understanding Teachers Perception and Management of Stuttering in Early Childhood Education

Ikotun, Reuben Oluwafemi, Afolabi, Ismail Olaitain, Olufunmi, Olapade Precious

2025

Overview

lexical retrieval and conversation flow, there has been limited scholarly attention on how it is perceived and managed by teachers in the Nigerian context. Therefore, using a descriptive quantitative research design and multistage sampling techniques, 73 teachers drawn from 9 purposively selected primary schools in Osun State, Nigeria were randomly sampled in this study. A significant majority of the teachers, 68.4% do not see stuttering as a significant barrier to learning. However, 23.4% expressed opposing view, suggesting that stuttering constitutes a barrier to learning to an extent. Also, 35.8% of the respondents disturbingly admitted that engaging stutters was frustrating, 11% shared the belief that children who stutter are less intelligent than their peers while 10.9% reiterated that unmanaged cases can significantly affect emotional well-being and academic achievement of stuttering children. Unfortunately, 53.3% of the respondents never or rarely had access to professional development opportunities related to stuttering management and 61.6% have never collaborated or rarely team up with speech-language pathologist or other professional to support children who stutter. In all, the study adds to the existing studies on stuttering awareness and contends further that primary school teachers' understanding of its intricacies and manifestations, together with timely support and effective interdisciplinary measures are key to managing the condition and its associated effects on early childhood education and at the long run, adult life of stutters.

• Publisher: جامعة زيان عاشور الجلفة
• Subject: أعضاء هيئة التدريس / اضطرابات النطق / صعوبات التعلم / مرحلة الطفولة / نيجيريا