ATTENTION! SCHOOL BUS

This study aimed to investigate the conditions of pre-school children’s school buses. Six pre-service senior pre-school teachers interviewed twelve school bus drivers, and then took four bus rides with children from school to home and made observations while on the bus. The researchers identified three themes based on the literature: safety, social and physical environment, and communication with drivers. A content analysis approach was used to analyze the data. The findings of this study revealed that three safety rules—unfastened seat belts, use of the front seat, and use of cell phones while driving the school bus—were broken by the school bus drivers. The general social environment of the buses was positive; no conflict was observed among children during their social interactions with each other. Nevertheless, the physical condition was not as pleasing as the social environment. The buses were dirty, dusty, and had a bad smell due to the lack of fresh air. The communication between children and the drivers was fairly good. Children were eager to talk about their school day to the drivers, and the drivers were willing to listen to them. However, the drivers were not so kind during their private phone calls during the ride. Article visualizations: