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Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of sluggish cognitive tempo

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ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders

Abstract

Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is characterized by a passive form of inattention that may not overtly disrupt classroom goals. Due to the nature of these symptoms, children with SCT may be “falling through the cracks” in schools. The current study examined pre-service teachers’ perceptions of SCT in the classroom. Undergraduate education majors (n = 161) read vignettes describing fictitious fourth-grade boys presenting with symptoms of SCT, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or a non-ADHD-related control: social anxiety disorder (SA), and rated each of the vignettes in terms of their perceptions of the boy described. Results were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVAs and paired-sample t tests. Pre-service teachers viewed all three sets of symptoms as concerning, but viewed ADHD behaviors as the most problematic. These results are promising, as they suggest that pre-service teachers are concerned about both hyperactive (i.e., ADHD) and non-hyperactive behavioral problems (i.e., SCT and SA). Implications and future directions are discussed.

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Funding

This study was funded by two grants from the University of Northern Iowa: an Internal Seed Grant and an award from Intercollegiate Academics Fund.

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  1. Rachel E. Meisinger

    Present address: Department of Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, 50614-0505, USA

    Rachel E. Meisinger & Elizabeth K. Lefler

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  1. Rachel E. Meisinger
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Correspondence to Elizabeth K. Lefler.

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Meisinger, R.E., Lefler, E.K. Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of sluggish cognitive tempo. ADHD Atten Def Hyp Disord 9, 89–100 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-016-0207-4

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