Ambivalent bonds, positive and negative emotions, and expectations in teachers’ perceptions of relationship with their students with ADHD

Abstract

A growing body of research has been focusing recently on the life and well-being of students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and also on the well-being of their teachers. However, there is a need for in-depth, qualitative insights into ADHD issues from the teachers’ perspectives. Therefore, the main aim of this qualitative study was to use thematic analysis to explore how teachers perceive the relationship with students with ADHD and the factors that influence the quality of this relationship. Sixteen teachers working with adolescent ADHD students were interviewed for this purpose. The results indicate that the quality of the teacher-ADHD student relationship is associated with the ADHD students related behaviours, ambivalent emotions of the teacher, the teacher’s beliefs about ADHD and the beliefs about the determinants of the behaviour of the students with ADHD and the teacher’s approaches and methods of work in the classroom. Furthermore, the results suggest that increasing the quality of the teachers’ well-being is associated with knowledge of ADHD determinants, regulation of ambivalent emotions, empathy, teachers’ ability to perceive positive qualities and the potentials of the students with ADHD and their motivation to teach ADHD students.