Investigating Saudi secondary school teachers' knowledge of stuttering and experiences with adolescents who stutter

Purpose
While numerous studies have evaluated primary school teachers’ understanding of stuttering, the knowledge of secondary school teachers, particularly in Saudi Arabia, remains underexplored. This descriptive cross-sectional survey study aimed to assess the knowledge and experiences of Saudi Arabian secondary school teachers who were currently working with, or had previously worked with, adolescents who stutter.

Method:
A total of 90 Saudi Arabian secondary school teachers participated in an online survey divided into three sections. Section one collected participant demographic information. In the second section, the Arabic version of the Alabama Stuttering Knowledge Test was used to evaluate secondary school teachers’ knowledge of stuttering. The third section, developed through a review of relevant literature, explored secondary school teachers’ experience working with adolescents who stutter.

Results
The overall mean knowledge score was 13.73. Most participants expressed high confidence in their abilities to work with and support adolescents who stutter. Most participants did not believe that having adolescents who stutter in their classrooms affected their teaching style or their interactions with them. Participants utilised diverse approaches to promote inclusiveness in the classroom and support adolescents who stutter. Furthermore, most participants frequently rated the effectiveness of various strategies for managing stuttering in the classroom as “very effective”.

Conclusion
Saudi Arabian secondary school teachers hold misconceptions about the causes of stuttering and lack collaboration with speech-language pathologists. This indicates a need for targeted training programmes to expand their knowledge and equip them with effective approaches to support adolescents who stutter in educational settings.