ABSTRACT

Purpose: In South Korea, the government recently introduced the School Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) Pilot Program to incorporate speech therapy services within elementary schools, with the objective of improving accessibility for students. Despite the implementation of this initiative, there remains limited research regarding its actual impact, particularly concerning caregivers’ satisfaction. This study aims to evaluate caregivers’ satisfaction with school-based speech therapy services, focusing on various aspects of the program. Methods: This study was conducted over six months at two elementary schools in Gwangju, involving 22 students (11 boys and 11 girls) aged 7 to 12. A total of 22 caregivers (3 fathers, 16 mothers, 3 grandparents) participated in a satisfaction survey upon program completion. The survey comprised 30 items, divided into five domains: overall satisfaction, satisfaction with evaluation, satisfaction with the therapy environment, satisfaction with the SLP, and perceived effectiveness of the therapy. Responses were measured on a 5-point Likert scale. Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to assess internal consistency, while Pearson correlations and ANOVA were used for further data analysis. Results: The survey demonstrated high internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from 0.85 to 0.91. Caregiver satisfaction was high across all domains, with overall satisfaction (M=4.75) and evaluation (M=4.73) receiving the highest ratings. Perceived effectiveness was rated lower (M=4.47). Correlation analysis showed strong positive associations between overall satisfaction and perceived effectiveness (r=0.878, p<0.001), and moderate correlations with therapy environment (r=0.548) and SLP satisfaction (r=0.540). No significant differences were found by gender or grade level, except for the therapy environment, where caregivers of older students and girls reported higher satisfaction. Conclusions: The school-based SLP program was effective in improving children’s speech and language skills, with caregivers expressing high satisfaction. Key factors influencing satisfaction included therapy effectiveness, evaluation, and environment. While no significant differences were observed based on gender or grade, suggestions for program enhancement included increasing therapy frequency and session duration. These findings provide insights for improving school-based speech therapy services and supporting children’s speech and language development.