Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) continues to be one of the most commonly diagnosed disorders in school-aged children As teachers are important gatekeepers for referring students who are in need of special services or classroom modifications, understanding what teachers know about ADHD and the factors that may lead to referral are important. First, the present study examined whether or not teachers were sensitive to academic achievement when making special education referrals. Second, the present study also examined if teachers could differentiate between ADHD behaviors and non-ADHD behaviors. Third, it examined the role of general teaching self-efficacy and self-efficacy related to teaching students with ADHD in making referrals and fourth, what are the sources of information teacher access for information about ADHD.

In this thesis I consider experiences of two beginning teachers during their pre-service year at the Faculty of Education at the University of Toronto and the early years of their teaching careers as they move from student teacher to professional teacher. In particular, I use narratives I created about each woman along with my own to identify the factors which influenced the success of this transition such as the nature of the first teaching positions held, the types of supports and assistance experienced during this transitional phase, and the personal experiences brought to the enterprise of becoming a teacher. Additionally, I look for any changes in their beliefs about teaching from those held as teacher-candidates to those that evolved during the initial years in the classroom and what influence, if any, these professional environments had on such shifts in thinking. In this study I use a narrative inquiry approach in which my own story is placed along side those of my two participants. By doing so, I acknowledge the close relationship between the primary investigator and the study subjects that is inherent in this qualitative method. My data sources for the narratives I created include written material in the form of journals, interview transcripts, practice teaching reports, and personal narratives produced by and about my participants during the time under study. In my concluding chapter, I make suggestions for changes both to the ways in which teacher-candidates are instructed as they begin to learn the intricacies of the art of teaching and to the conditions under which many of these new members of the profession begin their careers. There are many avenues for future research that I did not pursue in this study and some of these are outlined in my conclusions.

In this thesis I consider experiences of two beginning teachers during their pre-service year at the Faculty of Education at the University of Toronto and the early years of their teaching careers as they move from student teacher to professional teacher. In particular, I use narratives I created about each woman along with my own to identify the factors which influenced the success of this transition such as the nature of the first teaching positions held, the types of supports and assistance experienced during this transitional phase, and the personal experiences brought to the enterprise of becoming a teacher. Additionally, I look for any changes in their beliefs about teaching from those held as teacher-candidates to those that evolved during the initial years in the classroom and what influence, if any, these professional environments had on such shifts in thinking. In this study I use a narrative inquiry approach in which my own story is placed along side those of my two participants. By doing so, I acknowledge the close relationship between the primary investigator and the study subjects that is inherent in this qualitative method. My data sources for the narratives I created include written material in the form of journals, interview transcripts, practice teaching reports, and personal narratives produced by and about my participants during the time under study. In my concluding chapter, I make suggestions for changes both to the ways in which teacher-candidates are instructed as they begin to learn the intricacies of the art of teaching and to the conditions under which many of these new members of the profession begin their careers. There are many avenues for future research that I did not pursue in this study and some of these are outlined in my conclusions.

Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) continues to be one of the most commonly diagnosed disorders in school-aged children As teachers are important gatekeepers for referring students who are in need of special services or classroom modifications, understanding what teachers know about ADHD and the factors that may lead to referral are important. First, the present study examined whether or not teachers were sensitive to academic achievement when making special education referrals. Second, the present study also examined if teachers could differentiate between ADHD behaviors and non-ADHD behaviors. Third, it examined the role of general teaching self-efficacy and self-efficacy related to teaching students with ADHD in making referrals and fourth, what are the sources of information teacher access for information about ADHD.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University OF MICHIGAN.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University OF MICHIGAN.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University OF MICHIGAN.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University OF MICHIGAN.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Middle East Technical University, 2003. / Keywords: chaos theory, pre-service teacher education, organizational change, teacher professionalism, educational restructuring and reform, teacher education programs.

This research is based on a case study of two primary Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses at the same university which was carried out at a time of rapid change and major reform. One of those courses, the Articled Teacher (AT) PGCE was of the 'school based' variety much heralded at the time as the way forward for the preparation of teachers. In this scheme, learner teachers were based, usually alone, for two years in one school in the care of a mentor, with a chance of a 'teaching practice' in another school. The ATs came into the university for seminars, lectures and tutorials. The other route was a more traditional one year course where the students, 75 in number, were based in the university and were sent out, sometimes alone, sometimes in groups, into two or three different schools for 'teaching practice' or 'school experience'. The research focussed on three major factors in making comparisons between the two groups: 1) patterns of loyalty to, and support from, the university and the school; 2) the sources of their theorising about teaching - the ATs relying more on their own personal experience mainly because of their constant need to survive in their schools; 3) the differences between the course providers in schools and in the university which were more important for the ATs because of their course's emphasis on 'partnership' rather than 'integration'. The findings of the fieldwork are placed in the context of a discussion of the recent reforms in initial teacher education with particular reference to their implications for school based training.