Eman Al-Zboon

Combating violence against children: Jordanian pre-service early childhood teachers’ perceptions towards child abuse and neglect

Early childhood teachers play major roles in defying child abuse and neglect and alleviating its detrimental effects on young children. Therefore, this study aimed at exploring how Jordanian pre-service early childhood teachers define and perceive violence against children and their role in child abuse detection and prevention. Furthermore, the study aimed at identifying pre-service early childhood perceived preparation needs in child abuse and neglect. To achieve the study purposes, an interpretive qualitative approach was utilised. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 pre-service early childhood teachers who completed a compulsory course in child abuse at the time of the study. Thematic analysis was applied to data through which findings were confined to three themes corresponding to the research questions: violence and abuse defined; perceived preparation needs; and perceived roles in child protection. Several implications and recommendations for educators and teacher preparation programmes were offered and discussed based on the findings of this study.

Combating substance misuse: competences and preparation of special education department students

BackgroundThis study examines Jordanian special education department students’ competences and preparation relating to combating substance misuse (SM).MethodThematic analysis was performed on data from interviews with 150 students.ResultsSome participants denied the possibility of addiction among students with disabilities, and presented negative attitudes toward their role in combating SM. In general, the participants displayed low levels of professionalism relating to combating SM, and the results revealed that they felt that their preparation programme had been inadequate and they desired more courses that related to combating SM.ConclusionsThese results suggest that Jordanian Universities should emphasise the role of teachers in a preventive approach to SM.

Substance abuse at Jordanian universities: Perspectives of pre-service special education teachers

ABSTRACT The aim of this large-scale in-depth interview study was to investigate special education student-teachers’ perspectives on substance abuse and measures for combating it in Jordanian universities. Participants were 202 special education pre-service teachers who were purposively selected from three universities for open-ended interviews following a broadly structured guide. Content analysis was used to examine responses which were summarized into five major themes: (1) prevalence of substance abuse among students, (2) reasons for substance abuse, (3) the university experience as a risk for substance abuse, (4) adequacy of substance abuse services, and (5) possible solutions for addressing substance abuse. Informants perceived substance abuse among their student peers as pervasive, with the leading substances being tobacco and water-pipe smoking, followed by marijuana, synthetic marijuana (“joker”) and alcohol for men. For women, water-pipe smoking was perceived as the most common with tobacco notable. Students expressed that the university experience was a risk for substance abuse, that substance abuse education at their university was inadequate, and that a desire for more services to combat substance abuse existed. Recommendations are provided concerning the role of universities in substance abuse education and programs to combat substance abuse.

The type of curriculum activities implemented in Jordanian preschools

This study aimed to ascertain the nature of curriculum activities in Jordanian preschools. Fifteen preschools participated in the study. Data were collected by observing the children in their daily routines, as well as analysing their writings and drawings. Data were translated from Arabic to English before analysing it. Four main categories were identified from the data analysis process: academic learning experiences; daily routine; types of activities; childrens artefacts. Analyses revealed that preschool emphasised academic experiences rather than non-academic experiences, such as play time. Teachers focused on instructing children on the basics of reading, writing and math in addition to Islamic education. They considered the academic experiences most important for preparing children for success in school. Moreover, analysing the childrens samples of writings and drawings, results revealed that most of the childrens works was drawing. Writing was predominately in Arabic; however, children did use both languages simultaneously in their drawings and writings. The findings of this study can contribute to the existing literature about what curriculum activities exist in Jordanian preschools and add to the much needed early childhood research in Jordan.

Jordanian Mothers’ and Female Preschool Teachers’ Perceptions of Men Working in Preschools:

In Jordan less than 1% of preschool teachers are male. This study investigated a sample of mothers and female preschool teachers about their perceptions of male preschool teachers. A survey was developed to collect data from the participants. Results showed that participants perceive the work of men in preschools as being acceptable, yet they were of the opinion that preschool teaching is the work of females. Mothers agreed that children gain diverse experiences when taught by males or females. Female schoolteachers disagreed that male teachers have more control over their student during field trips. Most notably, female schoolteachers ages 19 to 29 were more accepting of the idea of male preschool teachers than other age groups.

Prevalence and types of childhood abuse among special education students attending Jordanian Universities

Abstract This survey study was conducted to determine childhood abuse experiences among pre-service special education teachers at five Jordanian universities. The sample consisted of (384) students. A survey was constructed, validated and administrated on the students. Results revealed that 6.1% of all participants were exposed to a high level of abuse during childhood. Participants rated verbal abuse domain as the highest domain of CA, followed by neglect, emotional abuse and physical abuse. Meanwhile, students rated sexual abuse domain as the lowest domain. Results also revealed statistically significant mean differences in the level of abuse due to gender, maternal employment, marital status, cumulative average, monthly income, parent’s education level and residence location. The implications for planning programmes are described.

Pre-service special education teachers’ professionalism and preparation in terms of child sexual abuse

Abstract This study aimed at examining Jordanian pre-service special education teachers’ professionalism and preparation on the topic of child sexual abuse (CSA). Qualitative research data from interviews with 20 pre-service special education teachers were analysed using thematic analysis. The results showed that these participants generally hold avoiding behaviour toward speaking about CSA as it is an unspoken taboo. Participants also hold low levels of professionalism on the topic of CSA. The results also demonstrate that they felt that their preparation programme is inadequate and desired more content and pedagogy courses that relate to CSA. Implications and recommendations are presented in light of the study findings.

Understanding Impulsivity Among Children With Specific Learning Disabilities in Inclusion Schools

Impulsive behavior is a characteristic of children with specific learning disabilities (SLD), and is related to learning ability. The present study aims to identify impulsivity behavior in children with SLD who attend inclusion schools, from their resource room teachers’ perspectives. A 31-item questionnaire that addressed four subscales was designed, and the study sample consisted of 103 resource room teachers of children with SLD from various inclusion schools in Al-Zarqa city in Jordan. The results revealed that the main problem was related to lack of premeditation, followed by lack of perseverance and urgency. The results also indicated that there were statistically significant differences only for the Lack of Perseverance subscale, with regard to level of disability, whereas there were no differences attributed to teacher gender, child gender, and age. Based on these findings, implications and recommendations are discussed.

Children’s recognition of pictorial signs and symbols

ABSTRACT This study aimed to examine children’s recognition of common signs. A group of 449 children ages 4–5 years old were recruited from preschools in three Jordanian cities. The children were presented with a collection of common signs found in public spaces and asked to identify the sign’s meaning. Results revealed a low frequency of correctly recognising a sign’s meaning, as reflected in the total score. Signs were categorised as guided, warning, or public. Results showed that the most frequently identified signs were guided signs, with the mosque sign in particular being mostly often correctly identified. Results also showed that the least recognised sign was the elevator sign. Additionally, findings revealed that sign recognition differed significantly depending on the child’s gender, age, and location. The results of this study highlight the lack of knowledge children have about common public signs.

Parents’ attitudes towards their children with cerebral palsy

ABSTRACT A negative attitude towards disability from family not only impacts upon a child directly, but also adds to the existing stress levels of a family. It can be concluded the parental attitudes are assumed to be associated with the psychosocial development of children. The aim of this study was to assess parents’ attitudes towards their children with cerebral palsy (CP), and to examine the relationship between parental attitudes, emotional and behavioural problems, and other factors related to a child with CP and their parents. Parents of 70 children with CP (aged 6–13 years) completed questionnaires assessing parental attitudes and the Social and Emotional Behavioural Problematic scale. The results indicated that most parents had moderate attitudes towards their children with CP, although 40.7% of parents held negative attitudes. The results also revealed that there were statistically significant moderate negative correlations between parental attitudes, internalising behavioural problems and child order, and significant moderate positive correlations between parental attitudes, level of education, and type of school. Regression analysis revealed that internalising behaviour problems, aggression, child order, level of disability, parental income, and type of school contributed significantly to the variation in the prediction of parental attitudes towards their children with CP. Based on the findings, appropriate recommendations are suggested.