Including a Pupil with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Exploring Teachers Perspectives

Abstract

Previous literature focusing on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) primarily explores the experiences and perspectives of the parents of a child diagnosed with ADHD. Despite working day-to-day with these children, there is a deficiency of literature studying the experiences of teachers who work with these pupils. Previous research often explores the teacher’s knowledge of the disorder rather than their experiences of including pupils with ADHD in the classroom, and the methods and strategies that they employ to achieve this. The current study aims to address this imbalance of literature by exploring the experiences of teachers in including a pupil with ADHD in the classroom. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data that was collected. Five themes were identified from the data; ‘Inclusion’, ‘Teacher Fairness’, ‘Student-Teacher Relationship’, ‘Communication’ and ‘Understanding of ADHD’. The findings of this study provide an insight into the experiences of teachers including children diagnosed with ADHD in mainstream classrooms. Additionally, from the teacher’s perspectives, emphasis is placed on the importance of positive relationships between the teacher and child, and also the teacher and the child’s parents for the successful inclusion of pupils with ADHD. The results have been discussed in relation to previous literature, and possibilities for future research to expand upon the current study’s findings have been suggested.