Elementary school teachers' attitudes toward willingness to teach students with ADHD in their classrooms in Riyadh City in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The present study was designed to measure differences in elementary school teachers' attitudes toward willingness to teach students with ADHD in their classrooms in Riyadh City in Saudi Arabia through a descriptive non-experimental quantitative research instrument. The study examined relationships among many variables through teachers' level of education, years of teaching experience in the education area, grade level of teaching, class size, previous teaching experience with any kind of disabilities, teachers' positions in schools, special education courses taken in college, teachers' in-service training, and teachers' gender. The last variable examined teachers' overall attitudes toward their willingness to teach students with ADHD in their classrooms.

The participants in the study, a total of 300 elementary school teachers including 150 males and 150 females, completed the survey. Overall the results found that elementary school teachers have neutral attitudes toward willingness to teach students with ADHD in their classrooms. Moreover, the findings of the study revealed the significance of the relationship between teachers' willingness to teach students with ADHD in their classrooms and their level of education, grade level of teaching, class size, previous teaching experience with any kind of disabilities, positions in schools, special education courses taken in college, and in-service training. Finally, the study found there was no relationship among years of teaching experience in the education area or gender and teachers' attitudes toward willingness to teach students with ADHD in their classrooms.