Abstract:

Although it is defined as a form of assault, child sexual abuse bears a number of features that make it exceptionally hard to diagnose by the children suffering and the adults in their social settings. The school environment is advantageous to recognize and react to circumstances that risk the prosperity of children. Therefore, schools must establish a healthy setting for children and must be able to pursue their growth with the aim of informing authorities about any diagnosed case of vulnerability. Proofs propose that the asperity of child sexual abuse is likely to increase over time. Thus, prompt diagnosis or intervention is pivotal in prohibiting sufferers from sexual abuse. Regarding the mentioned issue, this study inquires the conceptions of pre-service EFL teachers on reporting child sexual abuse. This study is based on a phenomenographic research method which is a qualitative research methodology within the interpretive research paradigm. The data of the study were gathered through semi-structured interview questions. The participants of the study were fourth class pre-service EFL teachers (N= 20) studying at a state university in Turkey. The results of the study suggest that pre-service EFL teachers are aware of the seriousness of the issue and they tend to report abuse. The results of the study may supply great help for the researchers in the fields of teacher education, foreign language teacher education, teacher empowerment, and in-service teacher training, as well as language teaching departments and the related authorities.

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