Investigating teachers' conceptualisation of ADHD neurodevelopment and mathematical interventions in Grade 3 Foundation Phase classes

Abstract

Teachers need to be made more knowledgeable and trained about ADHD to successfully present inclusive teaching in mathematics to ADHD-identified learners. The more knowledgeable teachers are about the neurodevelopment of ADHD, the more knowledge they will have in using the correct strategies, inclusive methods, and resources to support these learners. However, this objective will be challenging if teachers do not receive enough support from the school management and the Department of Basic Education. There is a clear lack of support for some teachers.

The research study was rooted in the three theories used by Piaget’s neuroplasticity theory, Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, and Hebb’s predominantly neurophysiological theory. The research study adopted a qualitative approach situated in the interpretive paradigm. A case study research design was used to investigate five Grade 3 Foundation Phase teachers from a mainstream and private school. All five teachers had completed a BEd degree; some had a BEd (Hons) in Learning Support. They all received their degrees from a South African university. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each teacher, along with observations of mathematics books from ADHD-identified learners in their classrooms, together with a review of the methods and strategies they used to support these learners. The analysis of this study revealed that teachers lack knowledge about the neurodevelopment of ADHD. The observations also revealed that teachers do not present worksheets of mathematics correctly to their ADHD learners and therefore need to be more knowledgeable about inclusive teaching. The study also showed that the private school struggled more financially than the mainstream school because of the lack of support from their school management and DBST. In light of these findings, eleven sets of recommendations were made to ensure that teachers can build more understanding about the neurodevelopment of ADHD learners and how to present inclusive teaching more successfully.