Design and Validation of a Model for Reducing Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity in Children

Abstract

AbstractThe purpose of this research was to design and validate a model for improving attention deficit and hyperactivity in primary school students of Ardabil City. The research was applied in terms of purpose, mixed in terms of the nature of data, and exploratory in terms of execution method. In the qualitative part, the semi-structured interview and database theory have been used. The statistical population of the qualitative section was university professors and experts in the field of school counseling and educational sciences, 15 of whom were selected based on the principle of opinion saturation. The statistical population in the quantitative section was all the primary school teachers of Ardabil City in the academic year of 2023-2024 in the number of 2600 people, according to Morgan's table, 335 of them were selected based on stratified random sampling. The data collection tool in this research was a researcher-made questionnaire resulting from the refined concepts obtained from the primary codes. The data sets obtained after the continuous process of open, central, and selective coding were organized in the form of 156 open codes, 146 concepts, 12 categories and 6 classes based on a systematic approach. The findings of the research show the improvement pattern of attention deficit and hyperactivity in elementary school students of Ardabil city under the categories of personal and psychological characteristics, motor skills, social skills, attention deficit disorder, educational strategies at the individual level, educational strategies at the interpersonal and communication level, pharmaceutical interventions and nutrition, physiological and behavioral interventions, psychological control, strengthening motor and physical abilities, psychological growth and social participation were categorized and fit in terms of validation (p<0.05). Finally, it is suggested that the results of this research be used as a guide and a general path to improve attention deficit and hyperactivity by specialists in schools and in other centers such as psychological service centers, counseling and psychotherapy clinics, welfare centers, universities, etc. Use existing situations and contexts.Keywords: Design, Validation, Attention Deficit, Hyperactivity, Elementary School Students. Extended Abstract IntroductionOne of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) which is characterized by the inability to pay sustained attention, impulsivity, hyperactivity inhibition, impulse control, internalizing, and externalizing problems, which has become a growing concern globally. Statistics show that this dysfunction affects 3-7% of children. According to the fifth diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a chronic and uncoordinated neurodevelopmental mental disorder characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity, and reduced attention. Among the treatments that are used to reduce the symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are drug treatments that also have beneficial effects, which are suitable in the short term; but hyperactive children do not achieve an optimal level of attention by taking these drugs; therefore, along with drug treatments, it is necessary to use other treatments. Therefore, considering the many issues and problems that this disorder has caused in children, families and teachers, and considering that this disorder is often diagnosed in school-aged children, in the current research, it was considered necessary to design and validate the improvement model of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among primary school students in Ardabil city to introduce and categorize a set of factors that can be the foundation and shaper of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and also factors that can be effective in improving and treating this disorder, and the set of factors related to this disorder should be discussed. MethodologyThe aim of the current research is to design and validate the model for improving attention deficit and hyperactivity in primary school students. Due to the fact that the results of this research can be directly used, therefore, the current research was applied in terms of purpose and mixed (qualitative and quantitative) in terms of the nature of the data. In terms of the implementation method, the research was exploratory. The research method in the qualitative part was a semi-structured interview and the implementation of the foundation data method, and in the quantitative part, the structural equation model method was used. The qualitative statistical population of the research was university professors and experts in the field of school counseling and educational sciences of Ardabil province. In this research, to select the sample of the qualitative part of the work, purposive sampling, which is one of the non-probability sampling methods, was used. The sample size of the qualitative part was 15 university professors in the field of school counseling and educational sciences in Ardabil. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. In order to implement the research, a week before the interview, the title and purpose of the research were explained to the professors. Ethical issues in this research include ensuring the informed consent of the participants to participate in the research and recording the content of the interviews, as well as the right to withdraw from the research at all stages of the research. The statistical population in the quantitative section was all primary school teachers in Ardabil city. The total number of primary school teachers in Ardabil city in the academic year 1402-1401 was around 2600 people. Therefore, according to the size of the statistical population and based on Morgan's table, 335 people were selected as the statistical sample size of the quantitative section based on stratified random sampling. In order to analyze the questions in the first stage, the structural codes were collected by three methods of open coding, axial coding and selective coding, and in the second stage, due to checking the fit of the model obtained from the first stage, according to the non-normal distribution of the data using the partial least squares method. PLS and bootstrapping techniques were used in Smart PLS software. ResultsAfter the qualitative analysis that led to the identification of primary codes, these codes were classified into several categories according to the similarity and authenticity of the data, and finally, the categories were placed in special classes. After continuous analysis and open, central and selective coding, the data were organized in the form of 156 open codes, 146 concepts, 12 categories and 6 classes (causal conditions, central conditions, strategies, intervening conditions, background conditions and consequences). In fact, these data show the criteria for improvement of attention deficit and hyperactivity in primary school students of Ardabil city and a new pattern emerged in this direction. DiscussionThe results of the research show the improvement pattern of attention deficit and hyperactivity in elementary school students of Ardabil city under the categories of personal and psychological characteristics, motor skills, social skills, attention deficit disorder, educational strategies at the individual level, educational strategies at the interpersonal and communication level, pharmaceutical interventions. and nutrition, physiological and behavioral interventions, psychological control, strengthening motor and physical abilities, psychological development and social participation were categorized and fit in terms of validation. ConclusionFinally, it is suggested that the results of this research be used as a guide and a general path to improve attention deficit and hyperactivity by specialists in schools and in other centers such as psychological service centers, counseling and psychotherapy clinics, welfare centers, universities, etc. Use existing situations and contexts.AcknowledgmentsWe are grateful to all the teachers of Ardabil City who helped in the implementation of the project with their participation in the

Keywords

• design
• validation
• attention deficit
• hyperactivity
• elementary school students