Teachers’ knowledge on ADHD, opinions on ADHD stimulant medication and the teaching of students with ADHD

Abstract

This study intends to identify kindergarten's teachers' knowledge on ADHD, their opinions on the use of stimulant medication, and also on the teaching of students with ADHD. The study involved private kindergarten teachers within the area of Johor Bahru. A total of 160 respondents were selected to be involved in this study but only 92 of the respondents gave their full commitment in this study. The data was collected using questionnaires consisting of two main sections namely Section A (Demography) and Section B (Questions). Section B was divided into 3 subsections namely Section B1 (Teachers' Knowledge on ADHD), Section B2 (Teachers' Opinions on the use of ADHD Stimulant Medication) and Section B3 (Teachers' Opinions on the Teaching of Students with ADHD). The collected data was then analyzed by means of descriptive statistics (percentage and mean) and inferential statistics (Spearman Rho Correlation). Generally, the findings showed that the teachers' do not have sufficient knowledge on ADHD. Also, the teachers were generally unsure about the use of ADHD stimulant medication and were quite reluctant be involved in the assessment of students with ADHD. Besides that, analysis also showed that there was no significant relationship between the teachers' teaching experience and their knowledge on ADHD. However, analysis showed that there is a significant positive relationship between the teachers' education background and their knowledge on ADHD. In conclusion, the teachers do not have sufficient knowledge on ADHD. They were also uncertain about the use of ADHD stimulant medication and were reluctant to get involved in the assessment of students with ADHD. Finally, this study provides several recommendations in order to help future researchers.