Effectiveness of guideline on knowledge and attitude of trainee school teachers towards identification and management of children with specific learning disabilities

Abstract

Background: An effective education is vital not only for individual advancement but also to provide a capable workforce and citizenry for our country. Initial teacher training is regarded as a cornerstone of the development of inclusive education. Learning disabilities (LDs) are present in at least 10% of the population. In India, prevalence rate of LD ranges from 9% to 39% and incidence of dyslexia in primary school children has been reported to be 2%–18%. Aim and Objective: Present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the guidelines on knowledge and attitude of trainee school teachers toward identification and management of children with specific LDs (SPLDs) by conducting pretest before intervention and posttests after intervention on 7th and 60th day. Materials and Methods: From each Zone (East, West, North, and South) of Odisha, one district was selected. A total of 269 trainee school teachers sample were selected. Qualitative study approach was used in this study with pretested and predesigned questionnaire. The data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (RMANOVA) to compare pretest and posttest knowledge questionnaire and attitude scale score over the time period; the “P” value was significant at 0.001. Results: Findings revealed that the data were analyzed using RMANOVA to compare pretest and posttest knowledge questionnaire and attitude scale score over the time period; the “P” value was significant at 0.001. This indicated that the guidelines for trainee school teachers toward identification and management of children with SPLD was effective in improving the knowledge and attitude significantly over the time period of the trainee school teachers. Conclusion: Guideline (self-instructional module) is effective for trainee school teachers to improve their knowledge and attitude toward identification and management of children with SPLDs over the time period.