Stakeholders' perceptions and attitudes towards learners with speech disorders in Algerian middle schools: a case study of stuttering

In middle schools, where students undergo pivotal stages of social and academic development, theimpact of stuttering can be profound. Despite the acknowledged influence of the social environment,schools, given the extensive time students spend there, carry significant influence over children whostutter. Recognising this, it becomes imperative to investigate stakeholders’ knowledge regardingstuttering and its associated stigma. The research aims to delve into the comprehension of stutteringamong stakeholders—speech-language therapists, mothers of children who stutter, and middleschool language teachers—within the Algerian context. By probing into their insights, this study seeksto elucidate prevailing stigmas and identify interventions to lessen them. Semi-structured interviewsserved as the basis of this research, facilitating nuanced exploration of stakeholders’ perceptions. Thestudy recruited three different participant groups—speech-language therapists, mothers of childrenwho stutter, and middle school language teachers, a total of 28 participants. Employing the stigmatheory as a conceptual framework, the research adopted a qualitative approach, employing case studymethodology complemented by thematic analysis to discern patterns and extract meaningful insightsfrom the data. The findings underscored differences in knowledge levels among stakeholders, withspeech-language therapists exhibiting superior comprehension. While the majority of mothers andteachers tend to base their knowledge on pragmatic understanding, they consider speech-languagetherapists as their primary sources of knowledge. Despite familiarity with the nature of stuttering, allparticipant groups held some stereotypes regarding its aetiology. The medical model view ofstuttering dominated the participants’ understanding of the nature and causes of the disorder.Although there was data indicating social stigmatizing attitudes, the treatment and efforts toovercome stuttering were primarily focused on the child. Notably, the prevalent treatment approachin Algeria was only characterized by the François Le Huche treatment method, focusing on abdominalbreathing exercises. Furthermore, stakeholders acknowledged the adverse impact of stuttering onchildren, who face many forms of negative attitudes, including discrimination and bullying. However,during these challenges, stakeholders exhibited an apparent awareness of potential interventions tomitigate stigma, tailored to the Algerian cultural environment. These interventions advocate fosteringpositive relationships between students who stutter and their peers and teachers, improving selfesteem,promoting awareness about stuttering, and destigmatizing it within societal norms. Inconclusion, this study explains the background of stakeholders’ knowledge regarding stuttering andthe associated stigma within Algerian middle schools. The findings emphasise the critical need fortargeted interventions to ameliorate the challenges faced by students who stutter. By presentingculturally appropriate strategies to combat stigma, this research contributes to promoting inclusiveenvironments conducive to the holistic development of all students. Ultimately, this study underlinesthe imperative of collaborative efforts among stakeholders to foster understanding, empathy, andsupport for students who stutter, thereby promoting their well-being and academic success withinthe Algerian educational context.