Examining the relationship between school administrators' attitudes toward reporting child sexual abuse and their perceptions of self-efficacy

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between school administrators' attitudes towards reporting child sexual abuse and their self-efficacy perceptions. The research was conducted in the 2019-2020 academic year and the research sample consists of 205 school administrators, 44 of whom are women and 161 of whom are men, working at preschool, primary and secondary education levels in Rize province. The relational screening model, one of the quantitative research methods, was used in the research. Demographic Information Form, Attitude Scale towards Reporting Child Sexual Abuse and School Administrators' Self-Efficacy Perception Scale were used as data collection tools. As a result of the research, a positive, moderately significant relationship was found between school administrators' attitudes towards reporting child sexual abuse and their self-efficacy perceptions. It was concluded that self-efficacy perceptions are a significant predictor of school administrators' attitudes towards reporting child sexual abuse. While there was no significant difference between the attitudes of school administrators in reporting child sexual abuse and the variables of gender, educational level, management seniority and in-service training, it was observed that school administrators who received pre-service training showed more positive attitudes towards reporting child sexual abuse. In the light of the findings, it may be recommended to focus on studies aimed at improving self-efficacy beliefs and increasing their knowledge and skills on child abuse through various trainings in order to positively increase the attitudes of school administrators in reporting cases of sexual abuse against children.