Date

7-2019

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Instruction (EdD)

Chair

Kurt Y. Michael

Keywords

ADHD, Attitude, Teacher Experience, Self-efficacy, Beliefs

Disciplines

Education | Teacher Education and Professional Development

Abstract

This study examined the strength and direction of the relationship between teachers’ years of experience and their attitudes toward attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A correlational design was used with the predictor variable being teachers’ years of experience teaching at a K-12 public school. The criterion variable was teachers’ attitudes toward ADHD. Previous research indicated that students with ADHD perform lower than their typically developing peers, in part, because the behaviors that students with ADHD exhibit are difficult for teachers to manage. The added challenge of teaching students with ADHD has the potential to create negative perceptions toward students with ADHD and lower teacher self-efficacy about their ability to teach these students. The Scale of ADHD-Specific Attitudes (SASA) survey was sent to public school teachers in a Midwestern state. Data was collected during a two-week window, and the results were analyzed using the Pearson’s correlation coefficient to determine whether to accept or reject the null hypothesis. A convenience sample of 112 participants was used in this study. The results of the study indicated that teachers’ years of experience were positively correlated to teachers’ attitudes toward teaching students with ADHD; however, the findings were not significant. This information may be beneficial in determining future teacher education and training at the pre-service and in-service levels. Further research into teachers’ attitudes toward ADHD is suggested. Continued research related to how teacher experience and other demographic variables influence teacher attitudes toward ADHD would add to the body of literature.

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