Academic Success of STEM College Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and the Role of Classroom Teaching Practices

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving STEM teaching practices for college students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Students with ADHD comprise as many as 10% of U.S. college students. College students with ADHD earn lower grades and may be less likely to graduate when compared to their peers without ADHD.

However, little is known about how to increase the academic success of this growing, underserved population. This project will study the academic success, such as grades and persistence) of STEM college students with ADHD. Through statistical modeling and student interviews, the project plans to determine the relationship between student characteristics, the college classroom experience, and academic outcomes of STEM college students with ADHD.

As a result, the project will describe the influence of the STEM classroom environment on students with ADHD. This information, in turn, is expected to provide actionable information for classroom teaching practices that better support the academic success of this growing, understudied population of STEM college students.

This project aims to fill a research gap surrounding college students with ADHD by investigating relationships between precollege factors, classroom teaching practices, and academic success of STEM college students with and without ADHD, and by identifying evidence-based teaching practices that may improve the college experience. The project includes three universities having different organizational contexts, and it seeks to address the following four research questions: 1.

What precollege factors are associated with academic success of STEM college students with ADHD compared to those without ADHD? 2. What teaching practices are associated with academic success of STEM college students with ADHD compared to those without ADHD? 3. How do teaching practices mediate the relationship between precollege factors and academic success of STEM college students with ADHD compared to those without ADHD?

Q4. How does organizational context influence the relationships between precollege factors, teaching practices, and academic success of STEM college students with ADHD compared to those without ADHD? Study 1 will address research questions 1 and 2 by applying multinomial logistic regression models using secondary data from approximately 20,000 first-year STEM students, including approximately 750 with ADHD.

Study 2 will address research questions 2, 3, and 4 using a student survey (with responses from approximately 2,500 students, including approximately 100 with ADHD) and in-depth interviews of 30 STEM college students with ADHD. Ultimately, this project should provide empirical evidence about teaching practices that can improve the college experience for STEM college students with ADHD.

The project will increase awareness of STEM students with ADHD and strategies to integrate inclusive teaching practices by disseminating project findings through conference presentations, journal publications, and professional development workshops. Expected long-term contributions include improving STEM education, attracting more students with ADHD to STEM, and increasing the diversity of the future STEM workforce.

The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.