Abstract:
This study aimed to investigate the awareness and knowledge of Tamil speakers towards the role of speech language therapist. Also, the study aimed to explore the difference in the knowledge level and the factors affecting the knowledge between the Tamil speaking population in India and New Zealand. 33 participants, 17 Tamil speaking participants from India and 16 Tamil speaking participants from New Zealand were included in the study. A semi-structured interview method with open-ended questions was used. The participants’ responses were thematically analysed by transcribing the interview and coding using an excel sheet. Following the thematic analysis of the interview, five main themes emerged: knowledge of speech language therapy; knowledge of communication difficulty; knowledge of swallowing problem; barriers; and ideas to increase awareness. The result indicated a low level of awareness and knowledge of the role of speech language therapists. The result of the study highlighted an indicative knowledge difference between the participants in India and New Zealand. Also, the key factors affecting the knowledge among the participants are identified as professional barriers and personal barriers. These results may help the speech language therapy field better understand what Tamil speakers aware of the role of speech language therapists. Also, it indicates the ideas to improve awareness and knowledge among the public.