The experiences of primary school teachers of ADHD in their classrooms

Abstract

There is a paucity of available literature regarding the experience of teachers dealing with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in an educational setting. As children with ADHD are typically diagnosed at school entry level, primary school teachers are directly affected. This study therefore endeavours to address the gap in the body of knowledge with regard to the experiences of primary school teachers who have children with ADHD in their classrooms. Four participants from a private school were interviewed and transcripts were analysed and interpreted using the Interpretive Phenomenological approach. Five themes emerged: knowledge of ADHD, medication for ADHD, support received from the educational system, classroom management and emotional experiences of the participants. The overall experiences of the participants were both positive and negative. Further research is needed with regard to the experiences of teachers.