EFFECT OF A TRAINING PROGRAM ON THE KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION TRAINEE TEACHERS ON EPILEPSY AND SEIZURE DISORDERS IN OYO TOWN

Abstract

Background: Children spend a significant time of their day in schools under the supervision of their teachers. Children with Intellectual disabilities are more likely to experience seizure disorder therefore, their teacher’s knowledge about epilepsy is important in case a student experiences seizure in school. Also, poor knowledge and attitude towards students with epilepsy have been recorded among teachers. Therefore, this study was conducted among special education trainee teachers who will become teachers of these children in the future. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of training about epilepsy on trainee teachers’ knowledge, attitude and first aid management of seizure disorder. Methodology: This study was conducted among 40 trainee-teachers in the Department of Education for Learners with Intellectual disabilities. The instruments used for this study were self-completed questionnaires adapted from previous studies of epilepsy and these includes Socio-demographic Questionnaire, The Knowledge of Epilepsy Questionnaire, Attitude towards Epilepsy Questionnaire, Awareness of first Aid towards a child having a seizure. After completing baseline questionnaires on knowledge, attitude and first aid management of epilepsy, the participants received training on epilepsy for 2 hours per week for three weeks. Post-intervention data were collected one week after the last intervention session. The correct responses were summed up to create a Knowledge and Attitude scale such that higher scores indicated positive knowledge and attitude. Socio-demographic details were presented in percentages and numbers. The comparison of the effect of the intervention was carried out using paired t-test and chi-square was also used. The training involved didactic lectures, discussions, role-plays and video presentations. Results: The majority of the participants were female (77.5%) and most (75.7%) were between the ages of 20-24 years. Fifty percent had heard about epilepsy, 17.5% knew someone who had epilepsy and 40.0% claimed to have witnessed an epileptic seizure. No statistically significant association was found between socio-demographic variables and knowledge and attitude before and after the intervention. The intervention resulted in statistically significant improvements in participants’ knowledge of epilepsy (Pre-Post Mean = 6.43 vs 10.89, p = 0.001), more positive attitude towards persons with epilepsy (Pre-Post Mean = 10.68 vs 15.16, p = 0.001), and more awareness of first aid management of seizure (Pre-Post Mean = 3.42 vs 4.61, p = 0.001).The training was well-received such that 87.9% of the participants indicated they were very satisfied with the programme, 90.9% were willing to come for further training if offered, and 72.7 % would recommend the training to others. Conclusion: The epilepsy training improved the trainee-teachers knowledge, attitude and awareness of first aid management of epilepsy. This emphasizes the potential benefit of incorporating epilepsy tailored intervention programme into teachers’ training curricula. They reported low baseline knowledge and negative attitude towards epilepsy indicates the need to improve public awareness about epilepsy in this part of the world.