KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND PRACTICES OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS TOWARDS ADHD STUDENTS

Abstract

Purpose of the study: This study was designed to explore the knowledge, attitude, and practices of teachers toward ADHD students. The objectives of the study were to document the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the teachers regarding ADHD, to find out the difference between knowledge attitude and practices among different strata of teachers, and to find out the effect of age, experience, and qualification on knowledge, attitude, and practices of teachers towards ADHD. Methodology: Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 600 primary school teachers from 2469 primary school teachers of district Haripur. This instrument contained 29 statements. This scale has three dimensions. Knowledge (statements 1-17), Attitude (statements18-35), and Practices (statements 36-52). The Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient for the questionnaire was 0.76 which was got through the pilot study conducted on sixty teachers. Main findings: The results indicate that overall practices of teachers are the highest in comparison to Knowledge and Attitude. There was no significant difference between knowledge, practices, and attitudes about ADHD between different strata i-e Urban and Rural area primary teachers, Male and Female primary teachers, and public and Private primary teachers. Furthermore, experience, Age, and Qualification have a profound influence on primary teachers’ knowledge regarding ADHD. Teachers’ Qualification has a profound influence over primary teacher’s Attitude towards students with ADHD. Thus, qualification has a profound influence over primary teacher’s practices towards students with ADHD. Applications of the study: This study is applicable in the field of primary education where the teachers are assessed to find out their knowledge, attitude, and practices towards ADHD students. Novelty originality of this study: Much of the research is conducted in mainstream education but this research specifically explores the knowledge, attitude of teachers towards ADHD students. Therefore, this research is a torchbearer in this particular area of education.