Practicing Teachers’ Attributions for the Behaviour of Students With Learning Disabilities and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

More students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities (LD) are being taught within the regular education classroom than ever before even though children with these disorders often require additional educational supports. Therefore, it is critical that teachers understand the challenges experienced by these students, as well as feel efficacious when it comes to teaching and supporting them. Attribution theory is a widely used theoretical framework by which to explain teachers’ cognitions. We surveyed 151 practicing teachers and asked them to respond to items related to attributions for students’ behaviour and their teaching self-efficacy. First, we examined teachers’ perceptions of the primary cause of the difficulties experienced by students qualitatively. We open-coded responses and three major themes emerged: biology/genetics, the environment, and skill deficits. These themes differed somewhat depending on whether the student had ADHD or LD. Second, we examined the relationship between teachers’ attributions for student behaviours and their sense of teaching self-efficacy quantitatively. For students with ADHD, controllable attributions predicted teachers’ self-efficacy (β = .30, p = .005). For students with LD, controllable and internal attributions predicted teacher self-efficacy (β = .34, p = .001, β = .24, p = .009, respectively). Third, we examined the results of both analyses simultaneously to determine areas of convergence and divergence with respect to attribution theory. The results have implications for both teachers and students (e.g., attributional interventions designed to foster a sense of self-efficacy), as well as provide directions for future research and teacher training. Keywords: ADHD, LD, practicing teachers, attributions, self-efficacy, mixed-methods Le nombre d’eleves atteints du trouble du deficit de l'attention avec ou sans hyperactivite (TDAH) ou des troubles d’apprentissage (TA) sont integres plus que jamais aux classes ordinaires, meme si les enfants affectes par ce type de difficultes ont souvent besoin d’un soutien educationnel supplementaire. Il est donc critique que les enseignants comprennent les defis que vivent ces eleves et que les enseignants se sentent efficaces dans l’enseignement et l’appui qu’ils leur apportent. La theorie attributive est un cadre theorique dont l’emploi est repandu pour expliquer les cognitions des enseignants. Au cours d’une enquete aupres de 151 enseignants en exercice, nous les avons interroges au sujet des attributions relatives au comportement des eleves et de leur sentiment d’efficacite personnelle en enseignement. Nous avons d’abord etudie, qualitativement, les perceptions des enseignants quant a la premiere cause des difficultes que vivent les eleves. Trois themes majeurs se sont degages des reponses aux questions ouvertes : la biologie/la genetique, l’environnement et des lacunes sur le plan des habiletes. Ces themes variaient quelque peu selon que l’eleve etait atteint du TDAH ou des TA. Deuxiemement, nous avons etudie, quantitativement, le rapport entre les attributions des enseignants relatives au comportement des eleves et leur sentiment d’efficacite personnelle en enseignement. Par rapport aux eleves atteints du TDAH, les attributions controlables etaient predictives du sentiment d’efficacite personnelle chez les enseignants (β = .30, p = .005). Relativement aux eleves atteints des TA, les attributions controlables et internes etaient predictives du sentiment d’efficacite personnelle chez les enseignants (β = .34, p = .001, β = .24, p = .009, respectivement). En troisieme lieu, nous avons etudie les resultats des deux analyses simultanement afin de determiner les points de convergence et de divergence par rapport a la theorie attributive. Les resultats ont des retombees tant pour les enseignants que les eleves (par ex. des interventions attributionnelles concues pour favoriser un sentiment d’efficacite personnelle) et ils proposent de nouvelles orientations en matiere de recherche et formation des enseignants. Mots cles : TDAH, TA, enseignants en exercice, attributions, efficacite personnelle, methodes mixtes