INFLUENCE OF TEACHER FACTORS ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF LEARNERS WITH ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD) IN INTERNATIONAL PRIMARY SCHOOLS OF MOMBASA (KENYA) AND KAMPALA (UGANDA): A COMPARATIVE STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46827/ejse.v0i0.2063Keywords:
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, teacher factors, academic achievement, primary school learnersAbstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of teacher factors (gender, qualification, and teaching experience) on academic achievement of learners with ADHD in inclusive learning environments in international primary schools of Mombasa (Kenya) and Kampala (Uganda). This was a comparative study that included 377 Learners (9-11 years) and their class teachers. The study adapted Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Scale Questionnaire (ADHD-SQ) which assessed the three ADHD subtypes, a self-formulated questionnaire that required class teachers to provide their demographic characteristic, and End of Term Assessment Results (ETAR) of learners in core subjects of math, science and English for their academic achievement. The results revealed that female class teachers in Kampala significantly influenced overall academic achievement (U = 19.50, p = .018) while male class teachers in Mombasa significantly influenced math achievement (U = 241.00, p = .036) of learners with ADHD condition. Teacher’s qualifications did not significantly influence academic achievement of learners with ADHD in Mombasa (rs = -.058, p = .675) and Kampala (rs = .334, p= .139). Teaching experience significantly influenced science achievement of learners with ADHD in Kampala (rs = -.486, p = .025). The study recommended exploration of these teacher factors in public primary schools across the two cities.
References
Abaoud, A.A. (2016). Implementation of peer tutoring strategies in teaching students with ADHD: Teachers’ attitudes in Saudi Education. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(30), 52-59.
American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM- V). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
Anderson, D.L., Watt, S.E., Noble, W., & Shanley, D.C. (2012). Knowledge of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and attitudes towards teaching children with ADHD: The role of teaching experience. Psychology in Schools, 49(6), 511-525. doi: 10.1002/pits.21617
Bussing, R., Fernandez, M., Harwood M., Hou, W., Garvan, C.W., Eyberg, S.M. & Swanson, J.M. (2008). Parent and teacher SNAP-IV ratings of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms: Psychometric properties and normative ratings from a school district sample. Assessment, 15(3), 317–328. doi:10.1177/1073191107313888.
Caldarella, P., Shatzer, R.H., Richardson, M.J., Shen, J., Zhang, N., & Zhang, C. (2009). The impact of sex on Chinese elementary school teachers’ perceptions of learner behavior problems. New Horizons in Education, 57(2), 17-31. doi: 10.1080/01443410802654909
Collins, A. G. (2016). Students with ADHD: Can they find success in the classroom? Education Masters. Paper 331.
Cuffee, S.P., Visser, S.N., Holbrook, J.R., Danielson, M.L., Geryk, L.L., Wolraich, M.L., & Mckeown, R.E. (2015). ADHD and psychiatric comorbidity: Functional outcomes in a school-based sample of children. Journal of Attention Disorders, 1- 10. doi: 10.1177/1087054715613437
DuPaul, G.J., Reid, R., Anastopoulos, A.D., Power, T.J. (2014). Assessing ADHD symptomatic behaviors and functional impairment in school settings: Impact of student and teacher characteristics. School Psychology Quarterly, 29(4), 409-421. doi:10.1037/spq0000095
Gaastra, G.F., Groen, Y., Tucha, L., & Tucha, O. (2016). The effects of classroom interventions on off-task and disruptive classroom behavior in children with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A meta-analytic review. PLoS ONE 11(2), e0148841. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0148841
Garg J., & Arun, P. (2013). A follow-up study of academic functioning and social adjustment in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 35(1), 47-52. doi:10.4103/0253-7176.112201
Hardman, S.E. (2013). Effects of teacher sex on screening for social, emotional, and behavioral
concerns for a middle school population. All Theses and Dissertations, Paper 3966. Hibel, J., Farkas, G., & Morgan, P.L. (2010). Who is placed into special education. Sociology of Education, 83(4), 312-332. doi: 10.1177/0038040710383518
Imeraj, L., Antrop, I., Sonuga-Barke, E., Deboutte, D., Deschepper, E., Bal, S., & Roeyers, H. (2013). The impact of instructional context on classroom on-task behavior: a matched comparison of children with ADHD and non-ADHD classmates. Journal of School Psychology, 51(4), 487–498. doi: 10.1016/j.jsp.2013.05.004
Mpango, R.S., Kinyanda, E., Rukundo, G.Z., Levin, J., Gadow, K.D., & Patel, V. (2017). Prevalence and correlates for ADHD and relation with social and academic functioning among children and adolescents with HIV/AIDS in Uganda. BioMed Central Psychiatry, 17(336) 1-8. doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1488-7
Murphy, S. (2014). Inclusive strategies for students with characteristics of ADHD. Young
Children, 69(3), 66 -71.
Olaoluwa, O.P. (2016). Teachers’ factor and academic performance of primary two pupils with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 6(2), 91-101. doi:10.5901/jesr.2016.v6n2p91
Owen, E.B., Hinshaw, S.P., Lee, S.S., & Lahey, B.B. (2009). Few girls with childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder show positive adjustment during adolescence. Clinical Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychology, 38(1), 132-143. doi:10.1080/15374410802575313
Safaan, N.A., El-Nagar, S.A., & Saleh, A.G. (2017). Teacher s’ knowledge about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among primary school children. American Journal of Nursing Research, 5(2), 42-52. doi: 10.12691/ajnr-5-2-2
Sikotane, G.M. (2016). Experiences of educators teaching learners with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Umtunzini circuit. (Unpublished masters dissertation), University of Zululand, South Africa.
Soroa, M., Bulluerka, N., & Gorostiaga, A. (2014). Development and validation of a questionnaire (the IRA-AGHE) to assess teachers’ knowledge of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Psychology, 30(3), 1035-1043. doi:10.6018/analesps.30.3.168271
Swanson, J.M., Nolan, W., & Pelham, W.E. (1982). SNAP rating scale. Ipswich, MA:
Educational Resources in Education.
Wamithi, S., Ochieng, R., Njenga, F., Akech, S., & Macharia, W.M. (2015). Cross- sectional survey on prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms at a tertiary care health facility in Nairobi. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 9(1), 1-7. doi:10.1186/s13034-015-0033-z.
Wamulugwa, J., Kakooza, A., Kitaka, S.B., Nalugya, J., Kaddumukasa, M., Moore, S., Sajatovic, M., & Katabira, E. (2017). Prevalence and associated factors of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among Ugandan children: A cross- sectional study. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 11(18), 1-7.
doi: 10.1186/s13034-017-0155-6
Yong, M., Fleming, C.B., McCarty, C.A., & Catalano, R.F. (2014). Mediators of the
associations between externalizing behaviors and internalizing symptoms in late childhood and early adolescence. Journal of Early Adolescence, 34(7), 967-1000.
doi: 10.1177/0272431613516827
Yoshimasu, K., Barbaresi, W.J., Colligan, R.C., Killian, J.M., Voigt, R.G., Weaver, A.L., & Katusic, S.K. (2011). Written language disorder among children with and without ADHD in a population-based birth cohort. Pediatrics, 128(3), e605-e612.
Young, E.L., Sabbah, H.Y., Young, B.J., Reiser, M.L., & Richardson, M. J. (2010). Sex differences and similarities in a screening process for emotional and behavioral risks in secondary schools. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 18(4), 225- 235. doi: 10.1177/1063426609338858
Youssef, M.K., Hutchinson, G., & Youseef, F.F. (2015). Knowledge of and attitudes toward ADHD among teachers: Insights from a Caribbean nation. UK: Sage. doi: 10.1177/2158244014566761
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).


