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Teachers’ Reported Use of Instructional and Behavior Management Practices for Students with Behavior Problems: Relationship to Role and Level of Training in ADHD

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Abstract

The present study examined general and special education teachers’ self-reported level of in-service training in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a common childhood mental health disorder, and the relationship between teachers’ level of training in ADHD and their reported use of a range of recommended instructional and behavior management approaches for students exhibiting behavior problems. The analyses revealed that the majority of general education teachers (76%), and almost half (41%) of the special education teachers, reported having no or brief in-service training in ADHD. General education teachers with moderate to extensive in-service training in ADHD reported significantly greater use of the recommended approaches (as indicated by their scores on the Instructional and Behavior Management Survey) than general educators with little or no training in ADHD. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health at CHEO, Grant # RG-626 and funding from the Canada Research Chairs Program to RT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Child Study, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, 45 Walmer Road, Toronto, ON, M5R 2X2, Canada

    Rhonda Martinussen

  2. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, 252 Bloor Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 1V6, Canada

    Rosemary Tannock

  3. The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada

    Rosemary Tannock & Peter Chaban

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  1. Rhonda Martinussen
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Correspondence to Rhonda Martinussen.

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Martinussen, R., Tannock, R. & Chaban, P. Teachers’ Reported Use of Instructional and Behavior Management Practices for Students with Behavior Problems: Relationship to Role and Level of Training in ADHD. Child Youth Care Forum 40, 193–210 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-010-9130-6

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