Abstract
This paper addresses some of the contradictions, dilemmas, and struggles in a Danish primary school practice involved in medicating children diagnosed with ADHD. It draws on a social practice research study of a 7-year-old boy diagnosed with ADHD, who was medicated against his will. It focuses on his struggles when being medicated, and particularly on meaning making processes and changes in social self-understandings in the first grade class, 1B, generated among students, teachers, and parents. The paper is an analysis of moments and movements in Dennis’ social self-understanding generated as part of a social practice research project combining a variety of methods, ranging from collective biography inspired group work and qualitative interviews with teachers and students, photo-based interviews, and participant observation in the school. The study has a double aim of generating theory regarding social self-understanding and ADHD medication, and analyzing concrete contradictions, dilemmas, and action possibilities in a primary school, enabling new “practice recognitions” that (at least partly) move beyond practices that generate marginalized social self-understandings.
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Notes
One of the authors (Karen-Lis Kristensen), participated both as researcher and as a psychologist employed by the Pedagogical, Psychological Counseling Unit of the local Municipality. In the latter capacity, the researching author was involved in practical activities with teachers, parents as well students, both in relation to Dennis and the other students in class 1B.
In Denmark, the education to become a pedagogue who is qualified to work in public day nurseries, kindergartens, leisure time centers, before- and after -school care centers is a 4-year professional bachelor’s degree. This education is very different from that of Danish teachers, in that it focuses on child development in a broad and also social sense. This is the argument for bringing pedagogues into the classroom during the children’s first years of school (Ministry of Children and Education 2012).
In the other more prolonged study mentioned above, the assignment was: “Take photos of what it is like to be a student in first grade.” In this case, students took pictures of multiple things, persons, and moments mirroring a huge diversity of interests and perspectives.
Collective biography is developed from the methodology of memory work that was introduced by Frigga Haug as a way of collectively exploring the double processes of (be)coming an active person and simultaneously constituting social phenomena (Haug 1987).
Emerald and Carpenter (2010) in their empirical study with mothers of ADHD-diagnosed children in Australia quote medicated children using the same wording as Dennis’: “I would rather be dead, than going to school” (p. 101) and: “I am a stupid boy” (p. 102), and the mothers confirm the tendency of medicated children to act “zombie-like,” pointing to the tendencies of promoting disengagement in school matters.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank Bronwyn Davies, Linda Graham, Ida Hedegaard Vorbeck for comments on drafts of this paper, and Kari Gustafson and Bronwyn Davies for improving the language and elucidating its arguments.
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KAREN-LIS KRISTENSEN. Pedagogical Psychological Counselling unit, Municipality of Viborg, Denmark
Current themes of research:
Research focuses include symphony orchestra musicians, ADHD and teacher burnout. Other relevant publications in English
Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education:
Kristensen, K.L. (2013). Do teachers leave their ethics at the school gate. Qualitative Studies, Autumn, 2013
LINE LERCHE MØRCK. Department of Education, Aarhus University, Campus Emdrup, Tuborgvej 164, 2400 København NV
Current themes of research:
Line Lerche Mørck has been researching marginalized young adults and their everyday life, expansive learning and transcending marginalisation. In her book Boundary Communities she develops a social practice theory of how one supports learning and transcending marginalisation through overlapping communities which are constituted across ethnic and social differences. At present, she is further developing the theory of expansive learning in boundary communities into areas of inclusive education and intervention in socially deprived housing areas and in relation to gang conflicts. Other relevant Publications in English
Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education:
Mørck, L. L. Hussain, K., Møller-Andersen, C., Ozupek, T., Palm, A. & Vorbeck, I., (2013). Praxis development in relation to gang conflicts, Copenhagen Denmark. Outlines, Special Issue on “Transformative Social Practice and Socio-Critical Knowledge”, Langemeyer, I & Schmachtel, S (ed.), 79-105 http://ojs.statsbiblioteket.dk/index.php/outlines/article/view/9794
Mørck, L. L. (2011). Studying empowerment in a socially and ethnically diverse social work community in Copenhagen, Denmark. 'Special Issue - Building Bridges' Ethos, edited by Kontopodis and Newham. P. Published online, February 16, 2011: 115-137
Mørck, L. L. (2010). Expansive Learning as production of community. In W. R. Penuel & K. O'Connor (Eds.), Learning Research as a Human Science National Society for the Study of Education Yearbook, 109 (1). Teachers College Press/Records, 2010, 176-191
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Kristensen, KL., Mørck, L.L. ADHD medication and social self-understanding. Eur J Psychol Educ 31, 43–59 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-014-0226-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-014-0226-5