title: The Relations between ADHD Behaviours, Social and Communication Traits of Autism, Attachment Characteristics, Teacher Perception and Management of Student Behaviour and the Self-Concept in Adolescents
Creators: name: Bodfield, K
Publisher: name: Liverpool John Moores University
Year: 2022

description: This doctoral thesis aimed to explore how dimensional, co-occurring models of ADHD behaviours, Autistic traits and attachment characteristics relate to the academic self-concept and general self-esteem and how teachers’ interviews on their perception and management of ADHD behaviours, Autistic traits and attachment characteristics may illuminate the relation. To evaluate the relations between ADHD behaviours, Autistic traits, attachment characteristics and the academic self-concept and general self-esteem, a three-phase, mixed-methods study was conducted. In the first phase, the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale v.1.1 (ASRS; Kessler et al., 2005), the Autism Spectrum Quotient 10 (AQ-10; Allison et al., 2012) and the Adolescent Attachment Questionnaire (AAQ; West et al., 1998) were revised and validated through cognitive interviewing and confirmatory factor analyses. Validation of the AAQ was based on a sample of 303 adolescents aged 12-16 collected from one school whereas validation of the AQ-10 and ASRS took place concurrently using a sample of 296 adolescents collected from three schools and four sixth-form colleges in the UK. These measures were then used in the second phase of the study. This used latent-interaction structural equation modelling to assess the relations between ADHD behaviours, Autistic traits, attachment characteristics and the academic self-concept and general self-esteem of 564 sixth-form students aged 16-19. The sample came from five sixth-form colleges in the UK. Finally, the third phase of the study used snowball sampling to generate a group of 12 UK secondary school teachers who were interviewed on their perception and management of behaviours, associated with ADHD, autism and attachment disorders. Data collected from the interviews were analysed using inductive, semantic thematic analysis. The subsequent thematic analysis of the teacher interviews suggests that teachers’ responses to and management of these behaviours were informed by their experiences and educational guidance. Seven themes were identified. They were resilience, enthusiasm, individual adjustments, behavioural management, classroom dynamics, teacher support and time. Interviews highlighted that teachers approach and manage ADHD behaviours, Autistic traits and attachment characteristics through individual adjustments or behavioural management strategies. Teachers also appeared to consider all behaviours they were interviewed about to be indicative of SEND, despite this not being referenced in the interview questions. The findings of the thematic analysis were then applied to the findings of phase two of this PhD project through critical realist retroduction to determine how teacher responses may explain the relations demonstrated in phase two. Synthesis of the quantitative and qualitative results suggests that there is an unexpected, potentially adverse element to the positive adjustments made in line with statutory professional principles set out in the Teachers’ Standards. As the self-concept is informed by feedback, this could be construed as highlighting differences and deficits or that the teachers have less confidence in the student's ability. This could explain why ADHD behaviours, social and communication traits of Autism and attachment characteristics were found to negatively predict both the academic self-concept and general self-esteem of students. However, further research is needed to test and confirm this hypothesis.