Abstracts

Rationale: Knowledgeable and confident teachers promote school success for students with epilepsy. However, only limited empirical information exists to determine contemporary teachers epilepsy knowledge and their confidence in instructing students with epilepsy Methods: Following a structured scale-construction approach, a measure of teachers knowledge and confidence was developed. The Teachers Epilepsy Knowledge and Confidence Scale comprises 14 Likert-type items of confidence and 25 multiple-choice fact (Knowledge) items. Two groups of teachers participated. Teachers-in-General (TiGs) were recruited on an entire school basis. At these sites, some teachers indicated they were currently teaching a student with epilepsy, forming a second group (Current Teachers, CT). Additional CTs were recruited on a teacher-by-teacher basis from the epilepsy practice at Phoenix Children s Hospital. The project was reviewed by university-based and hospital-based IRBs; it was funded by the Epilepsy Foundation (Patricia L. Nangle Fund). These are preliminary data from that study Results: CTs (n = 91) expressed greater confidence than those not currently teaching a student with epilepsy (TiGs, n = 203) in their ability to meet an array of instructional, safety and psychosocial requirements. This was true even when between-group differences in teachers prior background in special education, which was itself related to confidence, was controlled for statistically, F(1, 293) = 34.97, p <.001, ?2 = .11. However, neither group expressed a high absolute level of confidence: for CTs, average confidence ratings fell between somewhat confident and between confident and unsure (mean = 3.6 on a 5-point Likert scale), and for TiGs between between confident and unsure and somewhat unsure (mean = 2.8). Concerning knowledge, CTs responded correctly to more multiple-choice items assessing school-relevant epilepsy facts than TiGs, even after controlling for special education background, F(1, 293) = 5.75, p = .017, ?2 = .02. Both groups of teachers, however, knew less than one-half of the facts (CTs mean = 10.6; TiGs mean = 8.7 of 25 items). Among the sample as a whole, there were misconceptions about epilepsy (e.g., partial seizures denote students with partial impairment; epilepsy is synonymous with eligibility for supports based on Section 504 of ADA; epilepsy is not associated with risk for attention problems nor risk of depression; computers are not a seizure trigger for photosensitive patients). As expected, more knowledgeable teachers expressed greater confidence, r = .43, p < .001 Conclusions: Findings suggest that: (1) teachers, whether currently instructing a student with epilepsy or not, lack some important knowledge, (2) greater confidence and knowledge characterize teachers currently instructing a student with epilepsy and those with special education backgrounds, and (3) more knowledgeable teachers are generally more confident. It appears that additional information needs to be provided teachers. Results from this survey help suggest facts requiring supplemental dissemination to educators