Teachers Perception of Children With Attention Deficit Disorder in Pre-schools in Yaba Local Government in Lagos
CHAPTER ONE
Objective Of The Study
The main objective of this study is to examine the teachers perception of children with attention deficit disorder in pre-schools in Yaba local government in Lagos state. Specifically, the study aims to:
- Assess knowledge of teachers toward attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
- Determine attitude of teachers toward attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Conceptual Review
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most controversial and contentious of all the childhood- onset disorders, with a number of studies devoted to the understanding of its symptoms, causes as well as the most effective treatment interventions, and their consequent outcome (Nigg, 2001, as cited in Barkley, 2002). Despite the vast amount of literature and information on the condition, “ADHD is frequently misunderstood: “it is a disability plagued by misconceptions and myths” (Gargiulo, 2010, p.241). Parents and professionals often misinterpret the behaviour of a child with ADHD and consider the child as rude, disobedient and unmotivated. Many even question the legitimacy of the condition, believing that it has in fact been created to alleviate parents of the responsibility and blame for their child’s uncharacteristic behaviour (Gargiulo, 2010). Some believe that the condition is caused as a result of organic and biological functions, whereas others believe that the condition is caused by environmental factors, such as the parent-child interaction (Dennis, Davis, Johnson, Brooks & Humbi, 2008, as cited in Sines, Saunders & Forbes-Burford, 2009).
Not only is there misunderstanding and misinterpretation amongst parents and doctors about ADHD, but amongst educators also (Perold, Louw & Kleynhans, 2010). This should elicit great concern due to the vital role that educators play when it comes to the recognition and identification of ADHD symptoms and its subsequent diagnosis, referral and treatment (Perold et al., 2010). It is the responsibility of the South African educator to create a classroom environment that provides learners (with or without ADHD) with the opportunity to succeed and reach optimal potential, taking into account the fact that his/her work becomes much more demanding and time consuming when there are learners with ADHD in the classroom (Nel, 2007). Not only do educators play an important role in educating learners, but they also provide information to parents and doctors for subsequent ADHD diagnoses.
They also play a role in the management and treatment of ADHD symptoms (Kern, 2008). Therefore the information that educators have about ADHD will affect the way in which they teach and deal with learners with ADHD. It therefore becomes essential that educators have accurate and adequate knowledge on ADHD in order to be better able to attend and respond to the complexities presented by the condition amongst children.
Despite the crucial role played by educators, an overwhelming theme that has emerged from several studies is the notion that educators do not have an adequate or sufficient understanding of the condition, and in fact provide incorrect and inaccurate advice to parents of children diagnosed with ADHD (DiBattista & Sheperd, 1993). Many educators do not feel competent or confident to recognise and consequently deal with learners as diagnosed with ADHD, which may be due to a lack of training in the area (Kern, 2008; Kos, Richdale & Jackson, 2004)
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
In this chapter, we would describe how the study was carried out.
Research design
It is a term used to describe a number of decisions which need to be taken regarding the collection of data before they are collected. (Nwana, 1981). It provides guidelines which direct the researcher towards solving the research problem and may vary depending on the nature of the problem being studied. According to Okaja ( 2003, p. 2),” research design means the structuring of investigation aimed at identifying variables and their relationship, it is used for the purpose of obtaining data to enable the investigator test hypothesis or answer research question by providing procedural outline for conducting research”. It is therefore, an outline or scheme that serves as a useful guide to the researcher in his efforts to generate data for his study. Descriptive cross sectional research design was used in this study.
Research settings
This study was conducted in the public primary schools at Yaba Local Government area of Lagos state.
Sources of Data
The data for this study were generated from two main sources; Primary sources and secondary sources. The primary sources include questionnaire, interviews and observation. The secondary sources include journals, bulletins, textbooks and the internet.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION DATA AND ANALYSIS
Table 1: distribution of teachers regarding to personal characteristics; It was found that the mean age of teachers was 39.94 ± 8.61 while (61.9%) of them were females. Regarding residence slightly more than three fifth (60.8%) of teachers were from rural localities. Concerning the level of education; the table illustrated that nearly about two third (65.8%) of teachers had high education and the majority of them (86.1%) were married. The years of experience were ranged from (1.0 to 36.0) years and only (18.3%) attended symposium toward ADHD. Also the table illustrated that more than half (57.8%) of teachers had previously dealing with ADHD children.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Conclusion
Given the inevitability of finding children with ADHD in virtually every classroom, this study has investigated the knowledge of and attitude towards ADHD exhibited by teachers who play central roles in teaching children with ADHD. This study has been able to identify a low but significant positive relationship between knowledge and attitude of primary school teachers toward pupils with ADHD, significant influence of age on primary school teachers knowledge about ADHD but not their attitude towards pupils with ADHD, significant gender differences in knowledge but not in attitude towards ADHD, significant influence of level of education on primary school teachers’ knowledge of and attitude towards ADHD, significant influence of length of service on primary school teachers’ knowledge of ADHD but not their attitudes towards pupils with ADHD a lack of influence on knowledge and attitude towards ADHD by exposure to training.
Based on the results of the present study it can be concluded that the teachers had poor knowledge while attitude of them were positive.
Recommendation
Based on the results of the current study, the researchers came up with the following recommendations : Further studies should be conducted and gained a lot of attention about teachers’ knowledge and attitude toward Attention Deficit hyperactivity Disorder. Also the study recommended that teachers’ knowledge must be improved by implementing the educational program about ADHD.
Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations are made:
- Further studies of the determinants of knowledge and attitudes of teachers using more representative samples.
- A practical and useful course in adolescent and mental health needs to be a part of the curriculum of Teachers’ Training Institutions in Nigeria.
REFERENCES
- Alkahtani K., (2013): Teachers’ Knowledge and Misconceptions of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Psychology Vol.4, No.12, 963-969. available at (http://www.scirp.org/journal/psych) http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/psych.2013.412139
- Aly Sh. E., (2013): Effect of a parent- focused Intervention for Autistic children on parenting stress at Yaba Local Government. Doctral A Dissertation, Assiut University, Faculty of Nursing, P.92.
- American Academy of Pediatrics,(2011): ADHD, Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis, evaluation, and the treatment of the school age child with Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder in children and adolescents, Pediatrics 128(5):1007-1022.
- American Psychiatric Association (APA), (2013): Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – fifth edition, Text Revision; (DSM-IV-TR); Arlington. American Psychiatric Publishing. pp. 59–65.
- Bekle, B. (2004): Knowledge and attitudes about attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD): A comparison between practicing teachers and undergraduate education students. Journal of Attention Disorders 7(3), 151-161.
- Bone H, (2012): Analyzing likert data, Journal of Extension, Vol.50, No.2 available at http:// www.jo.org/.
- Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), (2014): “Symptoms and Diagnosis”. Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), United States. Available at:http://www,cdc.gov.