Parent and teacher knowledge of head injuries : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University

Abstract

This study examined parents and teachers knowledge of aspects of head injury (HI). Part one examined the various sources of information and education parents and teachers have access to that could impact on their knowledge of HI. Part two surveyed 64 parents and 64 teachers of young children (<5 years) from the North Shore, Auckland, to examine the extent of their personal knowledge of HI, and the sources of their knowledge (e.g. media). Participants were asked about the source of their knowledge of HI (i.e. various types of media, personal experiences etc), and the qualifications they hold that could impact on their knowledge (i.e. first aid training, teacher training qualification). Participants were also asked to complete a questionnaire about aspects of head injury - general knowledge, memory, recovery. Results indicated that there is a wealth of information in the public domain regarding HI. First aid courses provide information that can help a person deal with a HI immediately following the incident, but are not compulsory for teachers to have. Various other sources of information such as doctors, Plunketline and the internet also provide information and advice for the public to access. When parents and teachers were surveyed it was found that they have similar levels of knowledge regarding HI, although on average parents had slightly higher scores than teachers. Having a first aid certificate did not mean parents and teachers had higher levels of accuracy - in fact those who did not have a first aid certificate had higher average scores than those who did. Doctors and Plunketline were the most likely source of information for parents and teachers. The most popular media-specific sources were daily newspapers and television news. Further studies could examine the wider public's knowledge of HI. A more complete form of the survey could be used to get a well rounded picture of the current knowledge base of HI.