TeachersÕ attitudes toward students with epilepsy: results of a survey of elementary and middle school teachers Malachy Bishop * and Barbara Slevin Rehabilitation Counseling Program, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA Received 29 July 2003; revised 28 January 2004; accepted 29 January 2004 Available online 5 March 2004 Abstract This article describes an effort to increase and expand the limited current understanding of teachersÕ attitudes toward epilepsy. A survey was conducted among 135 elementary and middle school teachers in the state of Kentucky regarding their attitudes toward persons with epilepsy. The survey included an indirect, error-choice attitude measurement scale, the Test of Knowledge about Epilepsy (KAE). In addition, information about demographic and professional preparation was obtained from the participants for the purpose of examining whether these variables predicted attitude scores. The teachersÕ scores on the KAE ranged from )12 to +18. The mean score was 2.87 (SD ¼ 6.50). More years of teaching experience and experience teaching a student with epilepsy predicted KAE scores. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for the need for further research and the development of effective teacher education interventions. Ó 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Epilepsy; Teacher attitudes; Education; Stigma 1. Introduction Academic and social problems at school are over- represented among children with epilepsy, whose aca- demic performance has consistently been found to be poorer than would be expected on the basis of intellec- tual ability [1–3]. There are a number of factors poten- tially underlying this academic vulnerability. Among the factors that have been proposed are (1) seizure corre- lates, (2) neuropsychological correlates, (3) medication effects, (4) environmental variables, (5) social variables, (6) family adjustment, and (7) psychosocial correlates [4–6]. Significant research attention has been devoted to understanding the impact of seizure correlates, neuro- psychological correlates, and medication factors on both academic dysfunction [7] and psychosocial adjustment difficulties [8]. Among the remaining contributing fac- tors, the psychosocial correlates represent the least studied and least well understood. Extant research concerning academic and psychoso- cial maladjustment among students with epilepsy has focused primarily on parental response, parental fears and attitudes, parent and sibling relationships, and, in general, the family environment [1,8,9]. Very little re- search has been directed at the school environment, which has been described as the second most important social environment for the child after family [10]. Spe- cifically, despite the potential impact of teachersÕ atti- tudes toward epilepsy, very little research has been conducted in the United States in recent years concerning such questions as: (1) teachersÕ attitudes toward students with epilepsy, (2) the extent to which teachers have ac- curate knowledge and information about epilepsy, (3) the relationship between teacher knowledge and teacher attitudes, and (4) the effect of teacher attitudes on stu- dentsÕ school performance. Increased understanding of these dynamics is a necessary foundation for developing effective interventions and positive change. This article describes a study of teacher attitudes conducted among elementary and middle school teach- ers in Kentucky. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the current understanding of teacher * Corresponding author. Fax: 1-859-257-3835. E-mail address: mbishop@uky.edu (M. Bishop). 1525-5050/$ - see front matter Ó 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2004.01.011 Epilepsy & Behavior 5 (2004) 308–315 Epilepsy & Behavior www.elsevier.com/locate/yebeh