Pay Attention to This: A Knowledge Translation Study of ADHD and its Brain Basis to Preservice and In-Service Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to develop a knowledge translation (KT) activity for educators about the brain in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The goal was to increase our participants’ knowledge about ADHD and its brain basis. In addition to neuroscience content, the KT activity included the personal story of the lead researcher’s lived experience with ADHD to provide context, and to inform the participants’ perceptions of ADHD. Framed in an action research paradigm, our study undertook three cycles of reflection, planning, action, and observation to develop and improve a knowledge translation activity. The knowledge translation activity was presented to 48 preservice and in-service teachers and members of the public across Canada, with a mixed methods approach to evaluate the outcomes. The findings demonstrated that this knowledge translation activity was effective in enhancing participant knowledge about ADHD. Quantitively, a non-significant trend was observed that participants shifted their perceptions from social and behavioural causes to brain-based causes of ADHD. Qualitatively, the participants indicated making connections between the personal story and neuroscience. Effective KT requires a review of context vocabulary and opportunity for teacher interaction. Teachers are aware of several behavioural management strategies but do not have a clear idea of how or why they work. Teaching neuroscience to teachers allows for a discussion of neurodiversity and a strength-based approach to programming and accommodation. This research could help guide future knowledge translation research into the benefits of combining personal lived experience with neuroscience content.
 Keywords: knowledge translation, neuroscience, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, lived experience, storytelling, action research, neurodiversity

Experimental Evaluation of the Impact of Lived Experience and Personal Story on Neuroscience Knowledge Translation Effectiveness: Sharing the Neuroscience of ADHD with Pre‐Service Teachers

“…The aggregate qualitative results signaled that pre-service teachers have a great deal of personal experience with individuals with ADHD (through themselves, family members, colleagues, or students), but do not necessarily know or understand the underlying neuroscience or cause for behaviors associated with ADHD. As in the previous study (Isenor et al, 2021), pre-service teachers know a number of strategies available to them to support students with ADHD, but they do not appear to have a clear understanding as to how or why these strategies work or may be necessary. Neuroscience knowledge may help teachers implement these strategies effectively or more frequently.…”

“…In the previous study, qualitative results suggested that the personal story of the presenter with ADHD was very impactful in our neuroscience KT activity (Isenor et al, 2021). In the current study, we experimentally manipulated whether the content was presented in a personalized or depersonalized manner.…”

“…We adapted the KT activity used in a previous study (Isenor et al, 2021). Briefly, the KT activity format included a lecture with slides as well as interactive components such as a word cloud and small group discussion.…”

Sharing the neuroscience of living with housing instability: Collaborating with front‐line workers to co‐create a knowledge translation activity

“…The brain‐associated conditions included in the KT activity (SSDs, TBIs and ASD) were selected based on the extant literature, the outcomes from the interviews with front‐line housing support workers and the expertise of the research team. When creating a KT activity, it has been recommended to contextualize research through storytelling, thus appealing to both the logical and emotional sides of audiences (Bourbonnais & Michaud, 2018; Isenor et al, 2021). As such, before discussing the neurobiological underpinnings of each brain‐associated condition, a corresponding quote from the interviews was presented.…”

“…Our KT activity design was similar to previous neuroscience KT activities in that we combined neuroscience information with personal stories from individuals with lived experience (Isenor et al, 2021). Previous work used action research to integrate the neuroscience knowledge with the lived experiences of one of the academic researchers in order to develop an effective KT activity.…”