Elementary School Teacher Perceptions of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

Though studies of ADHD using quantitative methodology have been conducted in the medical, psychological, and education fields, the researchers who conducted these studies by and large have ignored an important variable: the role of the teacher. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore teachers’ perceptions about ADHD. Interview questions were adapted from similar quantitative studies in which teachers’ knowledge and perceptions about ADHD were assessed. In this study, we selected five elementary school teachers to participate in interviews. Themes of perception, focus, teacher empathy, parental concern, perception change, personal research, personal experience, and lack of institutional information emerged from these qualitative interviews.