Evaluation of primary education teachers' awareness levels about child neglect and abuse

Child abuse and neglect is the set of any actions affecting the child's healthy development negatively and creating a threat sexually and psychosocially.Children may encounter that actions in every period of life. Primary education,the beginning of the educational process, has importance on the determination and prevention of these actions. the purpose of this study is examining the awareness of the teachers at primary school , having a great responsibility and role on child development, intended the problem of child neglect and abuse and developing suggestions on solving the problem in this regard. In the research, general survey model was used.455 teachers, in primary education in district of İstanbul,Pendik, participated in the research. As data collection tool; 16 questions introductory factsheet including descriptive characteristics of the participants was used. And Likert type "Diagnostic Scale of The Risks and Syptomps of Child Abuse and Neglect" which had been improved by Uysal(1998) with the aim of revealing the awareness of the participants on the problem of child abuse and neglect were also used. The data obtained within the scope of the research were analyzed with SPSS 20 programme. The frequency (f) and the percentages (%) of all variants were calculated. The effects of demographical variants on the score of the teachers' level of awareness on child abuse and neglect were examined. It was determined that the score of the teachers' level of awareness on child abuse and neglect didn't provide the assumption of normality. That's why Kruskal Wallis -H Test and Mann Whitney U Test were used in comparisons. To be able to determine the difference from which group arise, it was benefited from Mann Whitney U Test again. All results were presented with their tables and comments. When the data obtained within the scope of the research is examined it is determined that 56% of the participants did not receive any education on child abuse and neglect during their under graduate education. And 72.7% of the participants stated that they had no training on child abuse and neglect in the process of post graduation. 63.6% of the participants stated that they were not aware of the existence of any instructions or procedures regarding child abuse and neglect in the institutions they work. 28.5% of the participants preferred the schools administration is the place to report child abuse and neglect. On the other hand 26.5% of the participants preferred social service center directorate. The rate of the participants seeming to be self sufficient in detecting the problem of abuse the differs according to the types of abuse.The majority of participants consider themselves more competent in detecting physical and economic abuse than other types of abuse. While 71.9% of the participants think that their awareness of child abuse and neglect has increased compared to the first day they started their profession, the 90% of participants stated that they needed more information about this issue. As a result it has been determined that the teachers working in primary education in our country have a lack of knowledge about child abuse and neglect. Also they are found to be aware of this shortcomings and they need to get more information. It has been revealed once again that the importance of working in coordination with social workers in order to eliminate the lack of information and increase awareness. And also it has been revealed that the social workers should be included in the school system.