The effect of supplemental online tutorials on chemistry comprehension in students diagnosed with ADHD

Abstract

Students who are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) have difficulty concentrating for extended periods. This population is predisposed to a host of comorbidities with other academically debilitating disorders such as anxiety and daytime drowsiness. This project was designed in order to assist this population of learners in a high school chemistry course. For the first treatment, students watched daily tutorial videos in order to improve comprehension, while also increasing confidence levels and decreasing anxiety. The tutorials explained chemistry concepts and demonstrated how to solve multistep chemistry problems. A second treatment was implemented in which multiple choice quizzes were interspersed throughout the tutorial videos in order to measure whether improved focus could be obtained. Data concluded that the tutorials were extremely successful. The population of ADHD students performed better on formative assessments in addition to increasing their confidence levels and decreasing anxiety levels surrounding the study of chemistry.