ERIC Number: EJ1478107
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jul
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1368-2822
EISSN: EISSN-1460-6984
Available Date: 2025-06-30
Understanding the Perspectives of School Children Who Stutter: A Rapid Review
Alhanouf Yosef Alhazimi1,2; Clare Carroll2; Mary-Pat O'Malley-Keighran2
International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, v60 n4 e70075 2025
Background: Children who stutter have the right to express their views and be heard. However, in research on stuttering, attention tends to focus mainly on parental and adult perspectives. By actively engaging with children's viewpoints, we can enhance our understanding of their distinct needs and capabilities. This, in turn, enables the development of more personalised and child-centred interventions based on their lived experiences. Aim: This rapid review aimed to identify qualitative methods in the research literature employed to explore the perspectives of school children who stutter (SCWS) aged 6-12 years and identify topics discussed by the children in such research. Methods and Procedures: A rapid literature review was conducted using five databases--EBSCO CINAHL, Scopus, EBSCO PsycINFO, Embase, and OVID Medline. The search strategy focused on qualitative or mixed-method peer-reviewed studies and included a manual search of the reference lists of identified papers. The search targeted studies involving school-age children who stutter and excluded grey literature. The findings are presented through data extraction tables and a narrative summary. Outcomes and Results: Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria, all of which used at least one qualitative method to elicit the children's voices. A total of 14 methods across the 13 studies were identified. The most common method was open-ended questions as part of semi-structured interviews. In relation to what SCWS expressed about their talking, several insights emerged, including reports of wishing to participate in group discussions in school and fluency changes post-intervention. The findings revealed the multifaceted nature of the experiences of SCWS, from personal frustrations to positive transformations. Conclusions and Implications: This rapid review provides a comprehensive overview of current qualitative approaches to understanding the perspectives of SCWS. It highlights the need to include the voices of SCWS in research. It advocates for innovative, authentic approaches to data collection and emphasizes the necessity for further research to bridge gaps in understanding the experiences and perspectives of children who stutter.
Descriptors: Childrens Attitudes, Child Language, Language Attitudes, Stuttering, Elementary School Students, Student Attitudes, Language Research, Group Discussion, Language Fluency
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Department of Health Communication Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Discipline of speech and Language Therapy, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland