Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Çırak Karadag, S., Sönmez, S., & Dereobalı, Nilay. (2015). An Investigation of Preschool Teachers’ Recognition of Possible Child Abuse and Neglect in Izmir, Turkey. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, (30)5, 873-891.

Child abuse and neglect have a potentially deleterious impact on children’s physical, social, and psychological development. Preschool teachers may play a crucial role in the protection, early detection, and the intervention of child abuse and neglect, as they have the opportunity to establish a close contact with the families and to observe day-to-day changes in pupils’ behavior. The main purpose of this study is to investigate preschool teachers’ experiences and characteristics in relation to their awareness of possible child abuse and neglect signs. A questionnaire survey was designed and administered to 197 preschool teachers who work for the public preschools in the Izmir province of Turkey. In addition to the questionnaire items, a 34-item Likert-type scale measuring the level of familiarity with possible signs of child abuse and neglect was developed. This scale had an internal consistency of 0.94. The results revealed that 10.65% of preschool teachers had training regarding violence against children and 2.03% of them had training in child abuse and neglect. Overall, 35% of all teachers reported that they had prior experience with pupils who were exposed to child abuse and neglect. Moreover, statistical analyses indicated that being a parent and having training in child abuse and neglect, having experience with maltreated children, and having higher job status were significant factors in preschool teachers’ ability to recognize the possible signs of child abuse and neglect. Our results support that teacher training in child abuse and neglect can play an important role in preschool teachers’ awareness of the possible signs of child abuse and neglect.

Ey, L., & Cupit, C. G. (2011). Exploring young children’s understanding of risks associated with Internet usage and their concepts of management strategies. Journal of Early Childhood Research, (9)1, 53-65.

The Internet provides remarkable opportunities for children’s learning and development. Nevertheless, it is unregulated and hard to control, which potentially places children at risk of exploitation. This study examined five—eight-year-old children’s understanding of dangers associated with the Internet, management strategies and sources of their understanding. Children in small groups answered questions relating to what they consider dangerous interactions or materials connected with the Internet, management strategies they would employ if confronted with these, and who taught them what they knew. Many children reported prior negative experiences on the Internet. Although they identified several risk categories, when presented with potentially dangerous Internet interactions almost half were not able to identify the associated risks. Most children identified appropriate management strategies; however, it was evident that children could not safely employ these because they were unable to recognize potential dangers. Just under half of the children indicated they had not been taught Internet safety. Internet risks for children can be reduced through education in their recognition of potential dangers, recall and management strategies, indicating a need for schools to incorporate Internet safety into curricula.