The background of this study is grounded on the lack of enough research material investigating the effects of ADHD and motor development in elementary-age students. The research is therefore, structured to fill this gap in providing data that capture the level of fitness of those people with ADHD. Research on ADHD has revealed a difficulty in developing motor behavior, thus linking ADHD with poor coordination and poor basic motor skill development. This has been associated with decreased motor ability, decreased fine motor ability and impaired motor response. This has allowed for the assumption that people with ADHD have low fitness levels, and with no research in this area, the research is meant to address that gap.
Purpose of the Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is to investigate and determine whether people with ADHD poses the same level of fitness as that of people without ADHD. Therefore, this purpose of the study is meant to provoke an interest into investigating whether this is true and if there is truly a reason for such disparity. It confers the research a direction that allows the researcher to have a projection and intention of having a better understanding to the topic of the research. As such, the research shifts its intention from the adult population and redirects it to the children; a research niche in need of more study.
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Stated or Implied Research (Alternative) Hypothesis/Hypotheses
The implied research hypothesis was that individuals with ADHD have a lower level of fitness that can be attributed to their condition as evidenced by decreased motor ability, impaired motor response, and decreased fine motor ability.
Demographics of the Participants
There were 51 elementary-aged children, with eight of the children with ADHD and forty three without ADHD. Eight of those who had ADHD, three of them were females, while the rest five were males. Of the forty three who did not have ADHD, twenty one were females and twenty were females. The participants were sampled form two elementary schools within Lapeer community schools district.
Data Collection
The data for the research was collected over a period of one school year. The researcher tested each participant twice on every test item in the course of the year. This gave the researcher an opportunity to conduct different tests attempts, in an attempt to collect more and a larger form of the data to help in comparison.
Data Analysis
The data was analyzed through a multivariable analysis mode known as MANOVA and a single variable analysis.
Results of the Data
The major finding of the research was that there was no real significance difference to justify that persons with ADHD had less level of fitness as compared to persons without ADHD. However, the result captured a significant difference that is brought about by gender and age. This showed that individuals with ADHD showed a difference in endurance, a difference that was attributed to the definite factors of age and gender. The male gender seem to have more endurance, while the older an individual was the more endurance was evidenced. However, participants of the same age and gender faired relatively the same with each other, with ADHD showing little of no difference in affecting or influencing fitness levels of these individuals.
Explanation of Findings
The test items were selected form the president’s challenge physical program in the form of endurance run, shuttle run, curl up, push-up, flexed arm hang, pull-up, and sit and reach tests. These test items, within the one year trial period, were used to collect data of individuals in the form of endurance and muscular strength. This meant that these measures of individual participants in every test item were added up to create a mean in performance and also show the standard deviation for each item across every consecutive test period. Time was used to measure the level of endurance and muscle strength as way of determine how each participant compared with each other. The conclusive figures of each test item between the males and females, with and without ADHD, compares equally the same, with a deviance of less than one, regardless of which group or items item is in consideration. More so, the test analysis done on both MANOVA (incorporating both age and gender) and ANOVA (incorporating only age) showed no real difference, between the male and female participants, with and with without ADHD. The scores analysis of ANOVA and MANOVA on the first and second trial of each test item compare relatively the same, showing no significant different that can be attributed or regarded as important to justify any true difference between participants with and without ADHD.
Evaluation of Article
The article is instructive in the sense it does not merely employ statistical data from previous researches, but rather utilizes real figures to justify the insignificance of the difference between persons with and without ADHD. The author also provides a step-by-step research procedure that allows the audience to relate to the authors’ intentions. This creates a paper that clearly justifies the author’s hypotheses in the sense it creates a realistic analytical process of justifying that people with ADHD have the same level of fitness level with those without ADHD.
To improve the article, the author, on the result segment, needs to reduce the number comparison and instead employ a narrative that allows a layperson understand their result. The other use of numbers is difficult, if possible, for anyone with no knowledge of numbers to grasp. Thus, the author needs explain more, in words, for the audience to have a better understanding of the findings to the research.
The other way the article can be improved is through the analysis of individual measure items separately instead of enjoining them. The research has enjoined test item, trail periods, gender and age, and with/without ADHD factors. This creates a challenge to any reader as they do not truly understand what they are supposed to concentrate on and what not. Instead the research would have separate each item separately in order to create ease in understanding for the reader and of the results.
Conclusion
The article tackles a vital group of people who are usually neglected in the society. Therefore, the research not only has a statistical interest for me, but also, it has spiritual connection that allows me to view those with ADHD as people in need of care and understanding. My approach would be one that chooses to concentrate on their strengths and help them improve on them. As such I would choose to perceive the article as one that helps in better understanding how to best interact with people with ADHD while at the same time improve on their experience.
Reference
Colombo-Dougovito, A. ( 2013 ). Comparison of Physical Fitness Performance between Elementary-Aged Students with and Without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The Physical Educator , 70; 262-281.
