Knowledge about epilepsy and confidence in instructing students with epilepsy: Teachers' responses to a new scale

Knowledgeable and confident teachers are crucial for students with epilepsy. In this study, 91 current teachers of a student with epilepsy (CTs) and 203 teachers in general (TiGs) were surveyed using a new scale. CTs knew more school-relevant epilepsy facts than TiGs, even after controlling for special education background, F(1, 293)=5.75, P=0.017, η²=0.02. Both groups of teachers, however, knew less than one-half of the facts (means=10.6 [CTs] 8.7 [TiGs] of 25 items). CTs also expressed greater confidence than TiGs in their ability to meet an array of instructional, safety, and psychosocial requirements, even when between-group differences in teachers' background in special education were controlled, F(1, 293)=34.97, P<0.001, η²=0.11. Still, neither group communicated a high absolute level of confidence. As expected, more knowledgeable teachers expressed greater confidence (r=0.43, P<0.001). Results suggest that some facts about epilepsy require additional dissemination to educators.