Preschool Teachers’ Perspec.ves and Experiences of suppor.ng Children with Speech and Language Difficul.es in Riyadh: Through the lens of Storytelling

Abstract

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 (2016) emphasizes the right of every child in preschools to access quality educaAonal opportuniAes, with a parAcular focus on early educaAon, teacher training, and curriculum development. Despite these commitments, preschool teachers face persistent challenges, parAcularly in supporAng children with difficulAes such as speech and language difficulAes (SLD). This study was conducted to explore these challenges by idenAfying their nature and examining potenAal ways to address them through two key objecAves across two phases: • Phase One: To evaluate the current situaAon in Riyadh preschools (public-independent, a&achment, and private) regarding the idenAficaAon of SLD, the provision of support, and the obstacles encountered. This was achieved through a mixed-methods approach, combining online quesAonnaires (158 respondents) and 13 semi-structured interviews. • Phase Two: To invesAgate preschool teachers' approaches to supporAng children with SLD during oral storytelling (OST) and digital storytelling (DST). This objecAve involved mulAple qualitaAve case studies, including 21 classroom observaAons, 21 sAmulated recall interviews, and 10 semi-structured interviews. The findings from both phases were discussed using the Inclusive Pedagogy Approach in AcAon (IPAA) proposed by Florian and Spra& (2013), which emphasizes the development of educaAonal pracAces that respond to individual differences without marginalizing or isolaAng learners, thereby promoAng inclusive teaching.

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Findings from the First Phase revealed that the parAcipants expressed low confidence in idenAfying SLD. ParAcipaAng teachers largely relied on their experiences and observaAons rather than diagnosAc tools or standardized scales. Support mechanisms predominantly involved mulAmodal strategies combining images, sounds, and sensory materials, alongside social support through daily conversaAons, acAve listening, encouragement, and praise to foster a sense of belonging. However, 64.6% of parAcipants reported no designated responsibility for children with SLD, ciAng inadequate knowledge (63.3%) and lack of relevant training (62%). DispariAes in salaries between educators with degrees in early childhood educaAon and special educaAon further hindered some teachers’ full engagement in supporAng children with SLD. The Second Phase explored teachers’ approaches during OST and DST. Findings showed inconsistency in OST pracAces: while some parAcipants implemented inclusive strategies such as simplifying stories and one-on-one teaching, others were constrained by systemic challenges like large class sizes and limited resources. DST, on the other hand, emerged as a promising approach, offering flexibility through small group acAviAes that enhanced engagement and comprehension for children with SLD. However, resource limitaAons and the addiAonal workload required for DST preparaAon hindered its broader implementaAon. ParAcipants consistently highlighted a lack of training, resources, and insAtuAonal support as significant barriers to effecAve support during both OST and DST. Addressing these challenges requires measures such as reducing class sizes, providing comprehensive guides tailored to OST and DST, and offering targeted professional development focused on supporAng children with SLD. The findings from this study offer valuable insights and pracAcal recommendaAons for opAmizing inclusive educaAon in Saudi preschools.