Teachers’ relational competence: perceptions of teachers and students with and without ADHD and ASD

ABSTRACT

This study examined whether teachers’ professional development of their relational competence with students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) modifies teachers’ and students’ perceptions of their teacher-student relationships (TSR). Participants comprised teachers (n = 33) and students (n = 232) from two elementary schools: one intervention school (InS) and one control school (CoS). InS teachers reported significant TSR improvements, regardless of student group or gender (p = .03). Among InS students, significant results were driven by female neurodiverse (ND) students and neurotypical (NT) male students (p = .03). Nevertheless, positive effects were solely observed among ND female students, while NT male students, conversely, reported decreased TSR during follow-up tests. No significant effects were found at the CoS irrespective of teacher or student ratings. The findings suggest that enhancing teachers’ understanding of relational competence concerning ND students will not only improve their own perceptions of their TSR but also those of ND female students. Nonetheless, directing teachers’ focus towards one student group (ND students) risks diminishing teachers’ attention towards other student groups, potentially explaining the poorer follow-up results among NT boys. The finding warrants further investigation, as it indicates a challenge for teachers to establish sufficient relational engagement with all students.

KEYWORDS:

• ADHD
• autism
• neurodevelopmental disorders
• relational competence
• teacher-student relationship

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.com) for English language editing and journal submission support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The datasets generated and/or analysed during the study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Ethical approval

This study was approved by the Swedish Ethics Review Board (no: 2019–03533).

Informed consent

Informed consent was collected from teachers as well as from guardians and students from the age of 15 of both schools.

Author contributions

The first author, Linda Plantin Ewe, composed the study conception, design of the study and material preparation, data collection, initial manual data analysis, and writing of the first draft. Mona Holmqvist designed the study and contributed to material preparation. Sven Bölte, conducted the statistical analysis using SPSS. All authors commented and contributed on previous versions of the manuscript and read and approved the final manuscript.

Notes

1. A ‘Lead Teacher’ is a Swedish career position for teachers who are exceptionally talented in their work.

2. The 7th grade consists of students aged 13‒14 in Sweden.

3. The 6th grade consists of students aged 12‒13 in Sweden.

4. Swedish schools are not allowed to register students’ diagnoses, and diagnostic information must be collected via their legal guardians.

5. Aspelin and Jönsson (2019). ‘Relational competence in teacher education. Concept analysis and report from a pilot study’. Teacher Development, 23(2): 264–283. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2019.1570323

6. Intervention school.

7. Neurodivergent students (i.e. students with ASD and/or ADHD).

8. Neurotypical students (i.e. students without ASD and/or ADHD.

9. Control school.

10. Intervention school.

11. Neurodivergent students (i.e. students with ASD and/or ADHD.

12. Neurotypical students (i.e. students without ASD and/or ADHD.

13. Control school.

Additional information

Funding

This study is part of the Swedish National Research School “Special Education for Teacher Educators” (SET) program, which was graciously funded by the Swedish Research Council (grant no. 2017-060639).

Notes on contributors

Linda Plantin Ewe

Linda Plantin Ewe holds a Ph.D. in Special Education and works as a researcher and special needs teacher educator at Kristianstad University. Her research revolves around students with neurodevelopmental disorders, with a specific emphasis on investigating the relationships between teachers and students to enhance both social and academic accessibility for all students. Drawing upon her background as an elementary school teacher in math and science, as well as her role as a SENCO, Linda contributes valuable insights to her research. Her expertise encompasses several years of experience working in special schools that cater to students with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Mona Holmqvist

Mona Holmqvist, Mona Holmqvist, Ph.D., is a professor of Educational Sciences at Lund University, Sweden. She holds a Master of Arts in Primary and Secondary Education (Biology, Chemistry, Psychology and Pedagogy). Since 1996, she has worked as a teacher educator and researcher at the university level. Holmqvist has been the principal investigator of several external funded research projects, including PI of a national graduate school for teacher educators in special education (SET), funded by The Swedish Research Council 2018-2022. She has also been a council member of the World Association of Lesson Studies (WALS), a global association of research on professional development for teachers 2007-2022. Furthermore, she is appointed by the Swedish Government as a member of the National Agency for Special Needs Education and Schools (SPSM) Authorities Board, member of the editorial board of International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies, editorial consultant for Australasian Journal of Special and Inclusive education, and member of the Editorial Committee of Research on Teaching and Learning (ForskUL). Among commissions of trust she has hold appointment at the Swedish Autism and Asperger Society. She has published several books and scientific articles in the field of education; which about 40 are listed on Web of Science.

Sven Bölte

Sven Bölte, Ph.D., is a professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Science at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health at Karolinska Institutet (KI) and a senior clinical psychologist at the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Center for Psychiatry Research in Stockholm, Sweden. He is also the director of the KI Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (“KIND”), researcher at the Autism Research Group at Curtin University, Western Australia editor in chief of the Scandinavian Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychology and Psychiatry, and associate editor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health. He is the founder of the Scientific Society Autism Spectrum and an international ADOS and ADI-R trainer. His work has been recognised by “Life Watch Nordiska Priset,” “Årets Ljus” (Society Attention), “Psynk award GNET” (Sweden’s Municipalities & Regions), Autism CRC (Australia), Achievement in Autism Research, and Fellow of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR). Among his commissions of trust are appointments at the Swedish Research Council, the European Network of Hyperkinetic Disorders, the National Society Attention scientific board, the Swedish Autism and Asperger Society, the Swedish Psychiatry Foundation, Swedish National Board of Institutional Care, and the National Agency for Special Needs Education and Schools. Professor Bölte has published more than 500 original articles, reviews, book chapters, and assessment and intervention tools in the fields of autism spectrum, ADHD, and other neurodevelopmental conditions, and has been cited more than 30,100 times (H-index 85).