An Investigation into Preschool Teachers Perspectives on Abuse

This study aims to explore preschool teachers' perspectives on abuse. Designed as a phenomenological study, the research employed a convenience sampling technique to select participants. Accordingly, the study group consisted of 15 preschool teachers working in Rize province during the 2023-2024 academic year, all of whom participated voluntarily. Data for the study were collected through semi-structured individual interviews with the teachers. These interviews, lasting approximately 40 minutes, were conducted using an interview form comprising five open-ended questions. Prior to the interviews, participants were informed about the study's purpose. To ensure the accuracy of the data and to prevent any loss, the participants' responses were recorded with their consent. The collected data were analyzed using content analysis. Findings revealed that preschool teachers had limited knowledge of the concept of abuse and lacked clarity on the appropriate steps to take in cases of suspected abuse. Additionally, they expressed hesitation in reporting such incidents. Moreover, the study found that most preschool teachers had encountered at least one child who had experienced some form of abuse during their professional careers. In these cases, their primary course of action was to arrange meetings with the child's family. However, all participants agreed that these meetings were often ineffective in resolving the issue and frequently resulted in conflicts with the family.