Knowledge and Attitudes towards Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder among Primary School Teachers in Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been described as a common childhood disorder affecting approximately 5% of primary school-aged children all over the world. This has led to studies on the knowledge of and attitudes of teachers towards Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in various countries among which are Australia and Unites States (Kos, 2004; DuPaul & Stoner, 2003; Kos, Richdale & Jackson, 2004). On the contrary, there seems to be a dearth of research on the knowledge of and attitudes of teachers towards Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among children in Nigeria. To this end, the study investigated primary school teachers’ knowledge of and attitudes towards ADHD using two social psychological theories: Theories of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Theories of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Data were collected using a researcher developed questionnaire administered on two hundred and fifty (250) primary school teachers (125 males and 125 females) drawn from 20 primary schools in Lagos State of Nigeria. The analysis of data was done using the t-test and ANOVA. Findings revealed a deficiency in teachers’ knowledge of as well as negative attitudes to pupils with ADHD among primary school teachers. It was also found that teachers’ level of education, length of service and exposure to training on ADHD all have significant influence on the perceived knowledge of and attitudes to pupils with ADHD. Based on the findings, it was recommended that ADHD education should be made a compulsory part of teacher education curriculum in Nigeria.

Keywords: Knowledge, Attitudes, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Primary school teachers, Nigeria