Teachers' Perspectives of Students with ADHD in Korea and the U.S.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore teachers' perspectives of working with students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with two hundred twenty-eight K-12th grade teachers in Korea and the U.S. by using a concept mapping methodology. The four research questions were: (1) How do teachers in two different cultures (Korea and the U.S.) perceive working with students with ADHD? (2) Is there any difference in the level of awareness towards ADHD between the Korean and the U.S. teacher groups? (3) What cultural aspects are different between the Korean and U.S. teacher groups? and (4) Does Confucianism and Individualism have any influence on the perception of Korean teachers and U.S. teachers towards students with ADHD and their behaviors? The results indicate that differences exist between the Korean and U.S. teachers' perspectives of working with students with ADHD. Teachers in the two cultures have differences in demographic features, recognition of ADHD in relation to policies, services, and training experiences. Also, Korean and U.S. teachers showed different positions in concept maps which could be explained by the teachers 'cultural differences (Confucianism and Individualism). The final concept map indicates that teachers who have positive attitudes towards students with ADHD also tend to have more knowledge, confidence, and training experience in dealing with students' ADHD related behaviors. Teachers' positive attitudes toward students with ADHD are associated with doing "actions" to help students with ADHD. Teachers' negative attitudes toward ADHD behaviors is associated more with personal "emotions" in response to students' ADHD-related behaviors. This study will contribute to providing insights into how culture impacts teacher behaviors, expectations, beliefs and perceptions of ADHD, and as a result, show that teacher perceptions of ADHD seems to be dependent on a combination of one's cultural orientation and other variables identified in the study. Future researchers may research across other ethnic teacher populations to continue to measure teacher perspectives of working with students with ADHD. In addition, researchers can expand the study into an exploration of teachers' perspectives on special education services and the quality of teacher training for helping students with ADHD.