Abstract

Teaching is a stressful and demanding profession, and teachers have reported above-average rates of burnout compared to other professions. One stressor is teaching and managing the behavior challenges of students, including students with ADHD. Early-career teachers are often critical and, at times, inaccurate in their perceived capabilities, which can negatively affect them and lead to lower job satisfaction and burnout. An online workshop for early-career elementary school teachers (n = 5) was implemented to teach them about ADHD, help them reflect on their perceptions of ADHD, as well as provide them with effective teaching strategies. After the workshop, the teachers completed a reflective workbook which addressed the four sources of information processing pertaining to self-efficacy when teaching and managing students with ADHD (Bandura, 1997). The workbook’s goal was to increase their TSE in teaching and managing students with ADHD. An exploratory mixed method design was used. Data was gathered from the participating teachers using demographic surveys, semi-structured interviews, the KADDS, the TSES, and from their reflective responses in the workbooks. The quantitative survey data triangulated the qualitative data and showed a consistent increase in participants’ scores on the scales at post-intervention. Qualitative findings indicated that all the participants had an increased understanding of ADHD, their perceptions of students with ADHD became more positive, and they reported that they applied more teaching strategies as a result of the workshop. Moreover, the participants described feeling more confident in their abilities post-intervention. This research has implications for designing professional development workshops for teachers.