Students with ADHD and their teachers. An investigation of the relationship between teachers' characteristics, teachers' knowledge and attitudes in primary school

The main aim of the research was to investigate the relationship between teachers’ characteristics, teachers’ knowledge about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and teachers’ attitudes towards ADHD in primary school. Firstly, 34 Romanian primary-school teachers completed the Knowledge of ADHD Scale (KADDS) in order to examine their knowledge about nature, causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. Secondly, a 34 items self-rated attitudes questionnaire (SRAQ) was designed with the aim of assessing what are teachers’ cognitive, affective and behavioural components of attitudes. Moreover, all the participants completed a demographic questionnaire and provided information about their formalized learning, their teaching experience and the professional development undertaken. The results showed that teachers reported above average knowledge about ADHD, with the highest scores on the Symptoms/Diagnosis subscale and the lowest on the Treatment subscale. Participants also reported positive attitudes towards ADHD, scoring significantly higher at the Cognitive attitudes subscale and significantly the lower on the Affective subscale. Furthermore, the multiple regressions analysis employed revealed that that scores obtained by teachers at KADDS were significant predictors of teachers’ scores at SRAQ showing that the predicted increase in overall knowledge determines a significant increase in attitudes. More specifically, knowledge about treatment and knowledge about symptoms were significant predictors of behavioral attitudes, knowledge about treatment was a significant predictor of affective attitudes and knowledge about symptoms was a significant predictor of cognitive attitudes. Lastly, non-parametric correlations showed that, overall, teachers’ highest level of education, the years of experience in mainstream, the experience of teaching children with ADHD and the number of seminars , workshops and conferences attended were associated with the scores obtained at the instruments measuring knowledge and attitudes. What is learned from this study will contribute to a better meeting of the needs of children, teachers and other professionals in the field. The research is aiming to provide useful data for future planning of educational curriculum for teachers and for the formation of effective policies on special education. The model designed can indicate which specific factors need to be taken into account when developing inclusionary frameworks or trainings programs.