ADHD and academic attainment: Is there an advantage in impulsivity?

Opposing effects of impulsivity and mindset on sources of science selfefficacy and STEM interest in adolescents

“…It also confirms a positive association between "growth" mindset and self-beliefs towards STEM (51), which this study expands to include science self-efficacy (large effect size), interest in all STEM domains (small to moderate effect size), interest in a STEM career (small-moderate effect size), and self-beliefs in STEM skills, such as using data and interpreting graphs (moderate effect size) among students in grades 6-12. Consistent with previous findings showing impulsivity affecting academic performance in the context of ADHD and self-discipline (20,24,29), this manuscript reports a negative association of impulsivity on all measures of STEM studied, including sources of science self-efficacy (large effect size), interest in all STEM domains (small to moderate effect size), interest in a STEM career (small-moderate effect size), and STEM skills (moderate effect size). These findings suggest that impulsivity is likely influencing STEM learning outside the context of diagnosed and undiagnosed ADHD, which is estimated to have a prevalence within the U.S. school population of 5.9%-7.1% (30), though up to 11% per parent self-report (52).…”

“…Students with ADHD attain lower academic levels than their peers (27), an effect also found for 87 children who are severely inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive, but lack a formal diagnosis of 88 the disorder (20,28,29). In the United States, the prevalence of these disorders among 89 children and adolescents range from 5.9%-7.1% for ADHD (30), 5-6% for learning disabilities 90 (31), and 0.6-2.2% for autism spectrum disorder (32).…”

“…Most impulsivity research investigating academic performance has focused on the 73 contexts of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (19,20), risky behaviors (21,22), and 74 early childhood self-control/regulation (23,24) leaving the role of impulsivity as an underlying 75 behavioral trait that may shape students' academic performance largely unexplored (8,25), 76 particularly in the context of STEM learning. Impulsive students can have trouble staying on 77 task and may be expected to find STEM learning more challenging, as academic effort in STEM 78 involves practice and repetition of tasks as well as concerted attention to task performance.…”

Personality and Educational Outcomes

“…Nonetheless, the impulsivity associated with extraversion can assist educational processes, with students who impulsively provide answers to questions showing greater learning (Tymms and Merrell, 2011), apparently because the simple act of providing an answer increases comprehension (Graesser, 2009). Similarly, extraversion is linked with novelty-seeking (Bernard, 2010), resulting in greater levels of experience and subsequent ability (Dragoni et al, 2011), especially in situations where learners are able to explore their learning environment independently (Orvis et al, 2011).…”

A Tentative Model of the Link between Constructivist Learning Approach and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

“…It is significant to note that children with ADHD are potentially incapable of meeting learning demands. However, it is misleading to consider simply the limitations and weaknesses of ADHD since it frequently happens that these children demonstrate several advantages [28]. Figure 1 clarifies the strengths of ADHD children at three different levels of 'cognitive strengths' (brain strengths), 'internal effects' and 'observable strengths'.…”