How Malaysian preservice special education teachers perceive their knowledge and roles in speech sound disorders

Speech Sound Disorders (SSDs) is an umbrella term that refers to various challenges children face to produce speech sounds accurately or appropriately for their age. SSD can cause communication difficulties. The understanding of what Malaysian preservice special education teachers know about SSDs together with their perceived roles remains unknown. This study aimed to examine how Malaysian preservice special education teachers perceive their knowledge and roles and the influence of gender on these perceptions regarding SSDs. The survey comprised 16 items and was distributed to 40 final-year preservice teachers enrolled at a Malaysian public university. The study results show that participants generally demonstrated high level of knowledge about SSDs while displaying strong perceived roles to support SSDs. However, gaps were identified in areas such as understanding typical developmental milestones for speech sound acquisition, defining SSDs, and recognizing associated risk factors. The relationship between perceived knowledge and roles shows a moderate positive correlation which indicates that better knowledge enhances confidence and role perception. Teachers did not differ in their SSDs knowledge between genders although they demonstrated different perceptions about their roles. While participants acknowledged their role in supporting students with SSDs, they may not feel fully equipped to provide effective intervention. These findings highlight the need to integrate specialized SSD training into teacher education programs. Since knowledge positively influences role perception, targeted professional development can enhance preservice teachers' preparedness. Additionally, gender differences in role perception warrant further investigation. Educational institutions and policymakers should implement structured training programs to ensure all preservice teachers, regardless of gender, are equally prepared to support students with SSDs.