CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Inattention and impulsivity are the core symptoms of attention deficit disorder. A child’s academic success is often dependent on his or her ability to attend to tasks and teacher and classroom expectations with minimal distraction. Such skill enables a student to acquire necessary information, complete assignments, and participate in classroom activities and discussions (Forness and Kavale, 2001). When a child exhibits behaviors associated with attention deficit disorder, consequences may include difficulties with academics and with forming relationships with his or her peers if appropriate instructional methodologies and interventions are not implemented.
According to the US Department of Education (2004), children with attention deficit disorder and its associated conditions frequently have problems at school including underachievement, difficulties with social skills and low self-esteem. They may experience teasing or bullying. Because attention deficit disorder children look like their peers it is not uncommon to find educators who consider the disorder an excuse for immature behavior rather than the neurobiological disorder it is. Without intervention, teachers and administrators may simply label the child as a troublemaker and if the condition is not properly diagnosed and managed well in the classroom, children can become isolated from their peer group, and develop other problems such as depression.
The behaviors associated with attention deficit disorder change as children grow older. For example, a preschool child may show gross motor overactivity that is always running or climbing and frequently shifting from one activity to another. Older children may be restless and fidget in their seats or play with their chairs and desks. They frequently fail to finish their schoolwork, or they work carelessly. Adolescents with attention deficit disorder tend to be more withdrawn and less communicative. They are often impulsive, reacting spontaneously without regard to previous plans or necessary tasks and homework (Diller, 2002).
According to Slavin (2002) attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder attention deficit disorder is a chronic, debilitating disorder which may impact upon many aspects of an individual’s life, including academic difficulties, social skills problems, and strained parent-child relationships. Whereas it was previously thought that children eventually outgrow attention deficit disorder, recent studies suggest that 30“60% of affected individuals continue to show significant symptoms of the disorder into adulthood.
A child with attention deficit disorder may be able to focus when he or she is receiving frequent reinforcement or is under very strict control. The ability to focus is also common in new settings or while interacting one-on-one. While other children may occasionally show some signs of these behaviors, in children with ADHD the symptoms are more frequent and more severe than in other children of the same age (Olsen, 2003).
Students with attention deficit disorder learn best with a carefully structured academic lesson”one where the teacher explains what he or she wants children to learn in the current lesson and places these skills and knowledge in the context of previous lessons. Effective teachers preview their expectations about what students will learn and how they should behave during the lesson (Osman, 2000).
In order to conduct the most productive lessons for children with attention deficit disorder, effective teachers periodically question children’s understanding of the material, probe for correct answers before calling on other students, and identify which students need additional assistance. Teachers should keep in mind that transitions from one lesson or class to another are particularly difficult for students with attention deficit disorder. When they are prepared for transitions, these children are more likely to respond and to stay on task.
Effective teachers use a number of behavioral intervention techniques to help students learn how to control their behavior. Perhaps the most important and effective of these is verbal reinforcement of appropriate behavior. The most common form of verbal reinforcement is praise given to a student when he or she begins and completes an activity or exhibits a particular desired behavior. Simple phrases such as good job encourage a child to act appropriately. Effective teachers praise children with attention deficit disorder frequently and look for a behavior to praise before, and not after, a child gets off task.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Poor concentration, high levels of activity, and impulsiveness are frequent characteristics of normal preschool children. Findings show that children with attention deficit disorder may still stand out in Nigerian schools. Although, associated difficulties, such as delayed development, oppositional behaviour, and poor social skills, may also be present. At this stage, parental stress may be huge when a child does not respond to ordinary parental requests and behavioural advice. Targeted work with preschool children and their carers has been shown to be effective in improving parent child interaction and reducing parental stress.
Researches have shown that the perception of teachers working with preschool children is low, and that many of them have little or no knowledge of working with children with this challenge.
This study therefore examines the teachers’ perception of children with attention deficit disorder in pre-schools in Yaba, Local Government, Lagos State.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The study will examine teachers’ perception of children with attention deficit disorder in pre-schools in Yaba Local Government, Lagos. Specifically, the study aims:
- To examine the effect of attention deficit disorder in pre-school classroom.
- To examine the effect of attention deficit disorder on the academic performance of children in Early Childhood Education classrooms.
- To examine the perceived challenges of attention deficit disorder among pre-school children.
- To examine the psychological effect of attention deficit disorder on early childhood classroom performance.
1.4 Research Questions
In assessing the purpose of the study, this research project intends to answer the following questions:
The study seeks to be guided by the following research questions:
- To what extent will attention deficit disorder affect pre-school classroom?
- To what extent will attention deficit disorder affect the academic performance of children in Early Childhood Education classrooms?
- What are the perceived challenges of attention deficit disorder among pre-school children?
- What psychological effect does attention deficit disorder have on early childhood classroom performance?
1.5 Research Hypothesis
The following hypothesis was intended to be used for the study:
Ho: There is no significant relationship between attention deficit disorder and pre-school classroom performance
H1: There is significant relationship between attention deficit disorder and pre-school classroom performance
1.6 Scope of the Study
The study will examine teachers’ perception of children with attention deficit disorder in pre-schools in Yaba Local Government, Lagos. The variable scopes of the study are: attention deficit disorder and pre-school education while the geographical scope of the study is limited to Private Nursery Schools in Yaba, Lagos.
1.7 Significance of the Study
The significance of the study lies in the hope that the findings may be of benefit to:
The Ministry of education where the study may be used to understand the effect of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in early childhood classroom.
Again, it will enable both public and private schools to be able to plan systematically for effective monitoring and cure of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in early childhood education. Other stakeholders of education (parents, students, lecturers, support staff, donors, will use the study as a checkpoint to act as a safeguard against any future happenings of the same nature.
The study helps academics to reduce or carefully monitored children symptom of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder which could be detrimental to their mind to avoid anti-social development or behaviour.
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms
Early Childhood Education: Early childhood education (ECE) is a branch of education theory which relates to the teaching of young children (formally and informally) up until the age of about eight.
Attention Deficit Disorder: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder any of a range of behavioural disorders occurring primarily in children, including such symptoms as poor concentration, hyperactivity, and learning difficulties.
Preschool: A preschool is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children between the ages of three and five, prior to the commencement of compulsory education at primary school.
Classroom: A classroom is a learning space, a room in which classes are held. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, from preschools to universities, and may also be found in other places where education or training is provided, such as corporations and religious and humanitarian organizations.
Education: Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits.
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