Self-Evaluation of Speech and Language Therapists on their Competence in Cooperation with Parents in Slovenia and North Macedonia
Abstract
Based on the analysis of the available literature, the competence of cooperation with parents can be defined as a construct of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enables speech and language therapists to collaborate successfully with parents of children in therapy. This study aims to examine how speech and language therapists from Slovenia and North Macedonia assess their knowledge and skills necessary for cooperation with parents and what their attitudes are in general regarding the involvement of parents in speech and language therapy. For the purpose of the study, a questionnaire was developed to measure the competence of cooperation between speech and language therapists and parents in a sample of 110 speech and language therapists, including 62 speech and language therapists from Slovenia and 48 from North Macedonia. The results show that there were differences between Slovenian and North Macedonian speech and language therapists in self-assessed attitudes towards parental involvement but no differences in the domain of knowledge and skills. The interaction of country and years of work experience is significant for the knowledge domain. Attitudes about cooperation with parents are not affected by years of work experience, area of work, or additional professional training; only the country where the SLTs work has an impact. The competence of collaboration between speech and language therapists and parents varies between the two countries, but there is space for improvement in each domain. The findings of this study may provide a starting point for further research on the competence of cooperation between speech and language therapists and parents.
Downloads
References
Bartels, S. M. & Eskow, K. G. (2010). Training school professionals to engage families: A pilot University/State department of education partnership. School Community Journal, 20(2), 45–71.
Bayat, M. (2012). Teaching exceptional children. McGraw Hill.
Boštjančič, E. (2011). Competency measurement: Method of assessment in theory and practice. Planet GV.
Bucik, V. (1997). Basics of psychological testing. University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Department of Psychology.
Buckley, B. (2003). Children’s communication skills: from birth to five years. Routledge.
Dale, N. (1996). Working with families of children with special needs: Partnership and practice. Routledge.
Dehnhardt, C., & Ritterfeld, U. (1998). Elternarbeit in der Sprachtherapie [Parent work in speech therapy]. Kindheit und Entwicklung, 7(3), 163–172.
DlogS (2021). Speech and language therapy, code of professional ethics. http://dlogs.si/logopedija/eticni-kodeks/
Evans, M. P. (2013). Educating preservice teachers for family, school, and community engagement. Teaching Education, 24(2), 123–133. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2013.786897
Garmon, M. A. (2004). Changing preservice teachers’ attitudes/beliefs about diversity: What are the critical factors?. Journal of Teacher Education, 55(3), 201–213.
Gestwicki, C. (2016). Home, School and Community Relations. Cengage Learning.
Georgieva, D. (2010). Education of Logopedists or Speech-Language Pathologists in Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Poland and Russia. Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica, 62(5), 217–222.
Gibbard, D. & Smith, C. (2016). A transagency approach to enabling access to parent-based intervention for language delay in areas of social disadvantage: a service evaluation. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 32(1), 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265659014567785
Hanna, K., & Rodger, S. (2002). Towards family-centered practice in pediatric occupational therapy: A review of the literature on parent-therapist collaboration. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 49(1), 14–24. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0045-0766.2001.00273.x
Hornby, G. (2000). Improving Parental Involvement. Cassell.
Hornby, G. (2011). Parental Involvement in Childhood Education: Building Effective School-Family Partnerships. Springer.
Hoy, A., & Spero, R. (2005). Changes in teacher efficacy during the early years of teaching: A comparison of four measures. Teaching & Teacher Education, 21(1), 343–356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2005.01.007
Iversen, M. D., Shimmel, J. P., Ciacera, S. L., & Prabhakar, M. (2003). Creating a family-centered approach to early intervention services: Perceptions of parents and professionals. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 15(1), 23–31.
Keilmann, A., Braun, L., & Napiontek, U. (2004). Emotional satisfaction of parents and speech- language therapists with outcome of training intervention in children with speech and language disorders. Folia phoniatrica et logopaedica, 56(1), 51–61. https://doi.org/10.1159/000075328
King, G., Law, M., King, S., & Rosenbaum, P. (1998). Parents’ and service providers’ perceptions of the family centeredness of children’s rehabilitation services. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 18(1), 21–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/J006v18n01_02
Klatte, I.S., Harding, S. & Roulstone, S. (2019). Speech and language therapists’ views on parents’ engagement in Parent–Child Inter-action Therapy (PCIT). International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 54(4), 553–564. https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12459
Law, J., Levickis, P., Rodríguez-Ortiz, I. R., Matic, A., Lyons, R., Messarra, C., Kouba Hreich, E., & Stankova, M. (2019). Working with parents and families of children with developmental language disorders: An international perspective. Journal of Communication Disorders, 82(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2021.104139
Loch, U. (2016). The family as a place of education. Between a school-centred focus on education and family needs. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 6(4), 93–113. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.55
NetQues (Network for Tuning Standards and Quality of Education Programmes in Speech and Language Therapy/Logopeadics across Europe (NetQues): a multilateral academic and professional network) (2013). NetQues Project Report Speech and Language Therapy Education in Europe – United in Diversity. http://docplayer.org/26842065-Netques-project-report-speech-and-language-therapy-education-in-europe-united-in-diversity.html
Novšak Brce, J. & Kogovšek, D. (2019). Slovenian National Vignette. In J. Law, C. McKean, C. A. Murphy and E. Thordardottir (eds), Managing Children with Developmental Language Disorder: Theory and Practice Across Europe and Beyond, 1st Edition. Routledge: Taylor and Francis Group, pp. 431–439.
Omerza, Z. (2002). Zdravko Omerza – življenje in delo ob stoletnici rojstva 1902–2002 [Zdravko Omerza – life and work on the centenary of his birth 1902–2002]. Društvo Vilko Mazi Ljubljana.
Panova, G. (2012). Osnovi na defektologija. Avtorizirani predavanja za interna upotreba. [Basics of defectology. Authorized lectures for internal use]. Univerzitet »Goce Delčev«, Fakultet za medicinski nauki.
Plohl, K. (2016). Speech and language therapists’ views on establishing a partnership with parents [Master thesis, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education]. http://pefprints.pef.unilj.si/4370/1/Magistrsko_delo_Pogledi_logopedov_na_vzpostavljanje_partners.pdf
Rauschenbach, T., Mack, W., Leu, H. R., Lingenauber, S., Schilling, M., Schneider, K., & Züchner, I. (2004). Konzeptionelle Grundlagen für einen Nationalen Bildungsbericht. Non-formale und informelle Bildung im Kindes- und Jugendalter [Conceptual Basis for a National Report on Education. NonFormal and Informal Education in Childhood and Adolescence]. BMBF.
Robben, S., Perry, M., van Nieuwenhuijzen, L., van Achterberg, T., Rikkert, M. O., Schers, H., . . . Melis, R. (2012). Impact of interprofessional education on collaboration attitudes, skills, and behavior among primary care professionals. The Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 32(3), 196–204. https://doi.org/10.1002/chp.21145
Ross, K., D. (2018). Speech-Language Pathologists in Early Childhood Intervention: Working with Infants, Toddlers, Families, and Other Care Providers. Plural Publishing.
Schmidt, T. (2019). Sodelovanje mobilnih logopedov surdopedagogov s starši [Master thesis, Univerza v Ljubljani, Pedagoška fakulteta].
Shartrand, A. M., Weiss, H. B., Kreider, H. M., & Lopez, M. E. (1997). New Skills for New Schools: Preparing Teachers in Family Involvement. Harvard Family Research Project, Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Stewart, C. (2014). Transforming Professional Development to Professional Learning. Journal of Adult Education, 43(1), 28–33.
Šteh, B., & Kalin, J. (2018). Building Partner Cooperation between Teachers and Parents. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 1(4), 81–101. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.407
Vidmar, A. (2016). Preschool teachers’ views on the preventive speech therapy program in kindergarten as a model of a stimulating environment for the development of language skills. [Master thesis, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education]. http://pefprints.pef.uni-lj.si/3534/1/Magistrsko_delo_Alenka_Vidmar.pdf
Vidovič, J., & Tomc Šavora, P. (2015). Communication between parents and speech and language therapists. Communication, 4(8), 34–40.
Warren, S. R., Noftle, J. T., Ganley, D. D., & Quintanar, A. (2011). Preparing urban teachers to partner with parents and communities. The School Community Journal, 21(1), 95–112.
Watts Pappas, N., & McLeod, S. (2009). Working with families in speech-language pathology. Plural Publishing.
Watts Pappas, N. W., McLeod, S., McAllister, L., & McKinnon, D. H. (2008). Parental involvement in speech intervention: A national survey. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 22(4–5), 335–344. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699200801919737
Watts Pappas, N., McAllister, L., & McLeold, S. (2016). Parental beliefs and experiences regarding involvement in intervention for their child with speech sound disorder. Child Language Teaching and Therapy 32(2), 223–239. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265659015615925
Wilson, T. (2016). Working with Parents, Carers and Families in the Early Years. Routledge.
Wubbels, T., den Brok, P. J., Veldman, I. M. J., & van Tartwijk, J. W. F. (2006). Teacher interpersonal competence for Dutch secondary multicultural classrooms. Teachers and Teaching, 12(4), 407–433. https://doi.org/10.1080/13450600600644269
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors are confirming that they are the authors of the submitted article, which will be published online in the Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal (for short: CEPS Journal) by University of Ljubljana Press (University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education, Kardeljeva ploščad 16, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia). The Author’s/Authors’ name(s) will be evident in the article in the journal. All decisions regarding layout and distribution of the work are in the hands of the publisher.
- The Authors guarantee that the work is their own original creation and does not infringe any statutory or common-law copyright or any proprietary right of any third party. In case of claims by third parties, authors commit themselves to defend the interests of the publisher, and shall cover any potential costs.
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
