The purpose of the present study was to investigate hyperactive and control childrens' awareness of their behaviors within the school system. In addition, hyperactive children described how medication affects their behavior and whether they feel it is necessary to control their characteristic behaviors. The rationale for the present, study was based on the fact that few studies have asked the hyperactive child about his awareness of his behaviors. Current research indicates the importance of self-perception studies. Researchers have intuitively assumed hyperactive children are not able to understand the affect of others so these children act and react inappropriately in social situations. However, this had not been empirically investigated. This research has implications for how significant others may be expected to interact with hyperactive children. Q-analysis procedures and techniques were used to gather and analyze the data. Three hyperactive children and two control children were requested to describe their classroom behaviors by rank-ordering a comprehensive list of items, each describing one classroom behavior. The items, which were gathered from theory, readings, subjects, and personal observations, were arranged by each subject into a predetermined (pseudo-normal) distribution pattern. The item scores for each subject were correlated and the correlation matrix factor analyzed. Each factor represented a single person. In addition, the difference between z-scores was analyzed which allowed differences between factors to be described. A structured interview was conducted with each subject to obtain further information on the subject's awareness of his classroom behaviors. Hyperactive children described their feelings about their medication regimen. Results indicated there are two subgroups of hyperactive children: ones who are unaware of their characteristic behaviors as negatively affecting significant others and view themselves as popular within the school environment and ones who view their actions as inappropriate with an accompanying low self-esteem with regard to their schooling. The medication interview indicated that hyperactive children feel drugs have a calming effect and they feel the medication is necessary for controlling their behaviors. It was concluded that viewing hyperactive children as unique individuals who may or may not be aware of their classroom behaviors must be incorporated into treatment strategies. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

This study sought to investigate the relationship between hyperactive behavior and children's perceptions of teachers. Particular attention was paid to two aspects of teacher behavior — acceptance and demand. An extensive literature review supported the position of viewing hyperactive behavior from an interactional perspective. In this study the context was the teacher-child interaction within the classroom as viewed by the child. The literature also indicated that children's behavior is affected by their perceptions of adult behavior. This study sought to examine this view in greater detail. The sample consisted of 4 7 grade four boys and 45 grade five boys from eight regular classrooms in two schools, located in a major urban center in the interior of British Columbia. Children's perceptions of acceptance and demand of their teacher's behavior were measured by administering a partial form of the Teacher Behavior Questionnaire to classroom groups. Observed levels of hyperactive behavior were measured by having subjects' teachers complete the Conner's Abbreviated Questionnaire for each boy. Using correlational analyses, hyperactive behavior was found to be significantly related to both variables in the directions of less perceived acceptance and greater perceived demand. Hyperactive behavior ratings allowed for a retrospectively identified teacher-rated hyperactive group and a teacher- rated non-hyperactive group. On group comparison measures, hyperactive boys perceived significantly less acceptance and greater demand than their non-hyperactive peers. In conclusion, hyperactive children perceive teacher behavior as less accepting and more demanding than their non-hyperactive peers. The variable of perceived acceptance appears more critical to pdsitive teacher-child interaction than the demand variable. Individual teacher differences and cultural factors also appeared operative. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

In this dissertation, the relationship of the junior primary hyperactive pupil and his or her teachers was researched, to investigate which behavioural aspects of hyperactive behaviour are present in children who are labelled as hyperactive. In the literature study, the researcher gathered information on hyperactivity and focused on the symptoms of hyperactivity. The relationships investigated. The of the junior primary researcher focused on school child were the teacher-pupil relationships and indicated the importance of trust: authority, understanding, experience and involvement in relationships. In the empirical research, a qualitative empirical study was undertaken. Three teachers and six children from the junior primary.phase were chosen to participate in the research study. Three children were identified as hyperactive and three children did not exhibit, according to their teachers, any behavioural disorders. The researcher implemented the Marschak Interaction Method to evaluate interaction between the teachers and the children. By using both semi-structured and unstructured questions, the researcher was able to gather data on teacher's knowledge and attitude about hyperactivity. The value of the study lies in the aspects which were identified regarding the interaction between teachers and hyperactive children. It was found that teachers interact differently with children who are hyperactive and with children who do not exhibit behaviour problems. The value of the study lies in the aspects which were identified regarding the interaction between teachers and hyperactive children. It was found that teachers interact differently with children who are hyperactive and with children who do not exhibit behaviour problems. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

No description available.

Excessive activity has been a prominent feature in the symptomatology of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for more than four decades. While overactivity has helped to identify persons with ADHD, the movement skill proficiency and physical activity experiences of children with ADHD have been overlooked (Harvey & Reid, 1997). This dissertation is a series of four original manuscripts that explore relationships between adapted physical activity (APA) and ADHD. The first manuscript, a review paper, discusses important issues related to ADHD. It suggests many children with ADHD experience poor levels of physical fitness and movement skill difficulties when compared to children without ADHD (Harvey & Reid, 2003). Numerous reference citations for seminal review articles on ADHD were provided. The second manuscript, another review paper, explored research methods used in movement performance studies about ADHD. Twenty new APA research questions about ADHD were posed (Harvey & Reid, 2005). Issues surrounding identification of ADHD, data collection procedures, and strategies to improve APA research about ADHD were also provided. The two review papers, when combined, are a substantial and original contribution to the ADHD literature. The third manuscript is a study about the effects of stimulant medication on the fundamental movement skill performance for 22 children with ADHD and a comparison of their movement skills to age- and gender-matched peers without ADHD. Multivariate statistical analyses revealed no significant effect of methylphenidate on the performance criteria of the TGMD-2 (Ulrich, 2000) for the children with ADHD. Significant differences between the children with and without ADHD were found on both locomotor skills and object control skills. A movement skill profile was developed for each group and they are unique contributions to the movement performance literature. The fourth manuscript is a study that explores the lived physical activity experiences of six boys with and without ADHD. Semi-structured interviews revealed some similarities among both groups about their physical activity experiences. However, qualitative differences were apparent on key aspects of skill proficiency. It is concluded that more in-depth APA research about people with ADHD is necessary to gain a clearer understanding of the children's unique physical activity needs.

In this dissertation, the relationship of the junior primary hyperactive pupil and his or her teachers was researched, to investigate which behavioural aspects of hyperactive behaviour are present in children who are labelled as hyperactive. In the literature study, the researcher gathered information on hyperactivity and focused on the symptoms of hyperactivity. The relationships investigated. The of the junior primary researcher focused on school child were the teacher-pupil relationships and indicated the importance of trust: authority, understanding, experience and involvement in relationships. In the empirical research, a qualitative empirical study was undertaken. Three teachers and six children from the junior primary.phase were chosen to participate in the research study. Three children were identified as hyperactive and three children did not exhibit, according to their teachers, any behavioural disorders. The researcher implemented the Marschak Interaction Method to evaluate interaction between the teachers and the children. By using both semi-structured and unstructured questions, the researcher was able to gather data on teacher's knowledge and attitude about hyperactivity. The value of the study lies in the aspects which were identified regarding the interaction between teachers and hyperactive children. It was found that teachers interact differently with children who are hyperactive and with children who do not exhibit behaviour problems. The value of the study lies in the aspects which were identified regarding the interaction between teachers and hyperactive children. It was found that teachers interact differently with children who are hyperactive and with children who do not exhibit behaviour problems. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Psychological research suggests that Ritalin reduces the rate of maladaptive behaviors in hyperactive children but does not improve their academic performance. Teachers, however, often assert that writing skills and other graphic work are improved by Ritalin. Twenty elementary school children who had been diagnosed as hyperactive and who were taking Ritalin were tested using WISC-R coding, WISC-R block design, and Bender Gestalt. Ten of the subjects were assigned to a group which was first tested when the children were off Ritalin and subsequently tested when they were on Ritalin. The sequence was reversed for the remaining ten. This procedure was designed to counterbalance the effect of practice. Direct difference t-tests indicated that there were no differences between groups regarding any of the three dependent measures. Thus, results indicate that the popular conceptions among educators regarding the efficacy of Ritalin for improving visual-motor efficiency is open to serious question.

The present study sought to alleviate the response cost inefficiency of the behavioral approach to controlling classroom hyperactivity by increasing the observer-student ratio via behavioral-electronic technology. A portable, integrated-circuit, counting and timing device was developed to enable immediate time-sequenced data recording and reinforcing of eight target behaviors by a single observer. A multiple-baseline design, across matched individuals was utilized to demonstrate the reinforcing effects. The results indicated a significant increase over mean baseline frequency in attention-to-task behavior for the group of eight students. It was concluded that by utilizing the behavioral-technological intervention strategy applied in this study, one observer could accurately monitor and reinforce eight students simultaneously and subsequently increase task attentiveness.

A quantitave study was done on children who were diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders in primary schools. The main aim was to measure IQ and to find out if there are indicators of organicity. The hypotheses of the study were as follows: (i) Children diagnosed with ADHD will obtain lower scores on IQ tests than children not diagnosed with ADHD; (ii) Children diagnosed with ADHD have some form of neurological deficit or organicity The study consisted of a sample 25 children who were diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders and the children who were never diagnosed with the disorder. The sample and the control group range from the age of six (6) to 13 years. Data was collected using Bendor Visual Motor Gestalt Test and Senior South African Individual Scale Revised. Descriptive Statistics. Chi-square Test and Mann-Whitney Test were used to determine the difference between the sample and the control group. The results indicated that there is significant difference between children with ADHD and the control group on both verbal and non-verbal IQ tests. This means that children who were diagnosed with ADHD scored lower on measures •of IQ. The differences may have been due to IQ. or the ADHD group was distracted enough to perform significantly worse on reading. spelling, mathematics, comprehension and written tasks. The results on the Chi-square indicated that there is a relationship between the presence and ADHD and organicity. The findings in this study will aid teachers and parents (especially in African communities), to find out more about the children who they think are just problematic children.

A quantitave study was done on children who were diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders in primary schools. The main aim was to measure IQ and to find out if there are indicators of organicity. The hypotheses of the study were as follows: (i) Children diagnosed with ADHD will obtain lower scores on IQ tests than children not diagnosed with ADHD; (ii) Children diagnosed with ADHD have some form of neurological deficit or organicity The study consisted of a sample 25 children who were diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders and the children who were never diagnosed with the disorder. The sample and the control group range from the age of six ( 6) to 13 years. Data was collected using Bendor Visual Motor Gestalt Test and Senior South African Individual Scale Revised. Descriptive Statistics, Chi-square Test and Mann-Whitney Test were used to determine the difference between the sample and the control group. The results indicated that there is significant difference between children with ADHD and the control group on both verbal and non-verbal IQ tests. This means that children who were diagnosed with ADHD scored lower on measures "of IQ. The differences may have been due to IQ. or the ADHD group was distracted enough to perform significantly worse on reading, spelling, mathematics, comprehension and written tasks. The results on the Chi-square indicated that there is a relationship between the presence and ADHD and organicity. The findings in this study will aid teachers and parents (especially in African communities), to find out more about the children who they think are just problematic children. ii A quantitative study was done on children who were diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders in primary schools. The main aim was to measure IQ and to find out if there are indicators of organicity. The hypotheses of the study were as follows: (i) Children diagnosed with ADHD will obtain lower scores on IQ tests than children not diagnosed with ADHD; (ii) Children diagnosed with ADHD have some form of neurological deficit or organicity The study consisted of a sample 25 children who were diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders and the children who were never diagnosed with the disorder. The sample and the control group range from the age of six ( 6) to 13 years. Data was collected using Bendor Visual Motor Gestalt Test and Senior South African Individual Scale Revised. Descriptive Statistics, Chi-square Test and Mann-Whitney Test were used to determine the difference between the sample and the control group. The results indicated that there is significant difference between children with ADHD and the control group on both verbal and non-verbal IQ tests. This means that children who were diagnosed with ADHD scored lower on measures "of IQ. The differences may have been due to IQ. or the ADHD group was distracted enough to perform significantly worse on reading, spelling, mathematics, comprehension and written tasks. The results on the Chi-square indicated that there is a relationship between the presence and ADHD and organicity. The findings in this study will aid teachers and parents (especially in African communities), to find out more about the children who they think are just problematic children. / M.Soc.Sc. (Clinical Psychology) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2006