Practicing Teachers' Attributions for Behavior of Students With Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 18
  In Roundtable Session: Examining Teacher Dispositions in Working With Students With Disabilities and Young Children

Abstract

More students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities (LD) are being taught within the regular education classroom. As such, teachers must feel efficacious when it comes to teaching these students. Our research examined the attributions that teachers make for the behaviours of students with ADHD and LD and how they relate to teachers’ self-efficacy. Overall, teachers perceived that the difficulties experience by students with LD are less stable than students with ADHD. Furthermore, controllability of student behaviour was able to predict teachers’ self-efficacy when it came to students with ADHD. For students with LD, controllable and locus of causality attributions predicted teacher self-efficacy. Our results are discussed within the context of potential training that could be provided to teachers.

Authors

• Lauren Denise Goegan, University of Alberta

• Jona Rose Frohlich, University of Manitoba

• Lindsey Nadon, University of Alberta

• Lia Marie Daniels, University of Alberta