Experiences of higher education learners with ADHD regarding learning strategies and the perceived suitability of learner-centred learning design elements in higher education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12697/eha.2026.14.2.05Keywords:
ADHD, adult learners, higher education, learning strategies, learnercentred learning designAbstract
Artikkel käsitleb aktiivsus- ja tähelepanuhäire (ATH) diagnoosiga täiskasvanud kõrgkooliõppijate kogemusi õppimisest ja õpistrateegiatest ning seda, milliseid õppijakeskse õpidisaini elemente nad tajuvad kõrghariduses õppimist toetavana. ATH-ga õppijate toetamisel keskendutakse sageli üksikutele kohandustele, kuid vähem on teada selle kohta, kuidas nad ise oma õppimist kogevad. Uuringus koguti ATH diagnoosiga täiskasvanud kõrgkooliõppijatelt andmeid poolstruktureeritud intervjuudega ning tulemused näitavad, et õppijate jaoks on kesksed oma diagnoosi teadvustamine ja eneseaktsepteerimine, ajasurvega seotud käivitumine, huvi- ja tähenduslikkusepõhine õpimotivatsioon ning mõtestamisele toetuv õppimine. Toimetulekut toetavad veel keskkonna teadlik kujundamine, kehalised ja sensoorsed võtted, digivahendid (sh tehisintellekt) ning sotsiaalne tugi ja õpipartnerlus. Õppijakeskset õpidisaini toetavate elementidena toovad õppijad esile kursuse selget ülesehitust ja ootuseid, vaheldusrikast õpet, õppimise käigus antavat tagasisidet, õppejõu kättesaadavust, paindlikku rühmatöö korraldust, valikuvõimalusi soorituses ning praktilisi kohandusi. Oluliseks peetakse ka psühholoogilist turvalisust, mis mõjutab õppijate valmisolekut oma vajadusi sõnastada ja tuge kasutada. Tulemused osutavad, et ATH-ga täiskasvanud kõrgkooliõppijate toetamisel on oluline siduda õppija enesejuhtimist toetavad strateegiad selge, paindliku ja psühholoogiliselt turvalise õpikeskkonnaga.
Downloads
References
Álvarez-Godos, M., Ferreira, C., & Vieira, M.-J. (2023). A systematic review of actions aimed at university students with ADHD. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1216692. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1216692
Babajanyan, D., Freame, L., Steele, R., & Poulton, A. (2023). Understanding attentional functioning in adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – Could this improve diagnostic specificity? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(6), 5077. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20065077
Beck Wells, M. (2024). Supporting higher education students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder through universal design for learning. College Teaching, 72(3), 227–230. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2022.2160959
Beck Wells, M. (2022). Student perspectives on the use of universal design for learning in virtual formats in higher education. Smart Learning Environments, 9(1), Article 37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-022-00218-6
Breines, J. G., & Chen, S. (2012). Self-compassion increases self-improvement motivation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38(9), 1133–1143. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167212445599
Brunton, J., & Buckley, F. (2021). ‘You’re thrown in the deep end’: Adult learner identity formation in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 46(12), 2696–2709. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1767049
Charteris, J., Anderson, J., & Page, A. (2024). Psychological safety in innovative learning environments: Planning for inclusive spaces. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 28(5), 688–704. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2021.1974108
Cohen, S. L., Shavel, K., & Lovett, B. J. (2024). College Students with ADHD: A Selective Review of Qualitative Studies. Disabilities, 4(3), 658–677. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities4030041
Damşa, C., & de Lange, T. (2019). Student-centred learning environments in higher education: From conceptualization to design. UNIPED, 42(1), 9–26. https://doi.org/10.18261/issn.1893-8981-2019-01-02
Edmondson, A. C., Higgins, M., Singer, S., & Weiner, J. (2016). Understanding Psychological Safety in Health Care and Education Organizations: A Comparative Perspective. Research in Human Development, 13(1), 65–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427609.2016.1141280
Hager, P., & Hodkinson, P. (2009). Moving beyond the metaphor of transfer of learning. British Educational Research Journal, 35(4), 619–638. https://doi.org/10.1080/01411920802642371
Haridus- ja Teadusministeerium. (2021). Haridusvaldkonna arengukava 2021–2035. https://www.hm.ee/sites/default/files/documents/2022-09/1._haridusvaldkonna_arengukava_2035_kinnitatud_11.11.21.pdf
Hartung, C. M., Canu, W. H., Serrano, J. W., Vasko, J. M., Stevens, A. E., Abu-Ramadan, T. M., Bodalski, E. A., Neger, E. N., Bridges, R. M., Gleason, L. L., Anzalone, C., & Flory, K. (2022). A new organizational and study skills intervention for college students with ADHD. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 29(2), 411–424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2020.09.005
Hattie, J. A. C., & Donoghue, G. M. (2016). Learning strategies: A synthesis and conceptual model. Science of Learning, 1, Article 16013. https://doi.org/10.1038/npjscilearn.2016.13
Heiligenstein, E., Guenther, G., Levy, A., Savino, F., & Fulwiler, J. (1999). Psychological and academic functioning in college students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of American College Health, 47(4), 181–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448489909595644
Hsieh, H.-F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15(9), 1277–1288. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687
Kim, H.-H., & Jung, N.-H. (2025). Mindfulness-based interventions for adults with ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore), 104(37), e44308. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000044308
Kuznetsova, E., Tammi, T., Postnova, N., Palomäki, J., & Cowley, B. U. (2025). Mechanisms of learning in adults with ADHD during an ecologically-valid visual discrimination task. Journal of Attention Disorders, 30(1), 38–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547251356744
Kõrgharidusstandard. (2024). Riigi Teataja I, 13.06.2024, 5. https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/113062024005
Liu, C.-I., Hua, M.-H., Lu, M.-L., & Goh, K. K. (2023). Effectiveness of cognitive behavioural-based interventions for adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder extends beyond core symptoms: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 96(3), 543–559. https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12455
Minear, M. E., Coane, J. H., Cooney, L. H., Boland, S. C., & Serrano, J. W. (2023). Is practice good enough? Retrieval benefits students with ADHD but does not compensate for poor encoding in unmedicated students. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1186566. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1186566
Moffett, J., Little, R., Illing, J., de Carvalho Filho, M. A., & Bok, H. (2024). Establishing psychological safety in online design-thinking education: A qualitative study. Learning Environments Research, 27(1), 179–197. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-023-09474-w
Mrazek, M. D., Franklin, M. S., Phillips, D. T., Baird, B., & Schooler, J. W. (2013). Mindfulness training improves working memory capacity and GRE performance while reducing mind wandering. Psychological Science, 24(5), 776–781. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612459659
Neff, K. D., Hsieh, Y.-P., & Dejitterat, K. (2005). Self-compassion, achievement goals, and coping with academic failure. Self and Identity, 4(3), 263–287. https://doi.org/10.1080/13576500444000317
Onandia-Hinchado, I., Pardo-Palenzuela, N., & Diaz-Orueta, U. (2021). Cognitive characterization of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder by domains: a systematic review. Journal of Neural Transmission, 128(7), 893–937. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-021-02302-6
Parkinson, S., Brennan, F., Gleasure, S., & Linehan, E. (2021). Evaluating the relevance of learner identity for educators and adult learners post-COVID-19. Adult Learner: The Irish Journal of Adult and Community Education, 74–96.
Prevatt, F., & Yelland, S. (2015). An empirical evaluation of ADHD coaching in college students. Journal of Attention Disorders, 19(8), 666–677. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054713480036
Sedgwick-Müller, J. A., Müller-Sedgwick, U., Adamou, M., Catani, M., Champ, R., Gudjónsson, G., Hank, D., Pitts, M., Young, S., & Asherson, P. (2022). University students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): A consensus statement from the UK Adult ADHD Network (UKAAN). BMC Psychiatry, 22(1), Article 292. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-03898-z
Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2022). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research (2nd ed.). SAGE.
Solanto, M. V., Marks, D. J., Wasserstein, J., Mitchell, K., Abikoff, H., Alvir, J. M. J., & Kofman, M. D. (2010). Efficacy of meta-cognitive therapy for adult ADHD. American Journal of Psychiatry, 167(8), 958–968. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.09081123
Tallinna Ülikool. (2020). Õpetamise ja juhendamise hea tava. https://www.tlu.ee/opetamise-ja-juhendamise-hea-tava
Weyandt, L., DuPaul, G. J., Verdi, G., Rossi, J. S., Swentosky, A. J., Vilardo, B. S., O’Dell, Sean M., Carson, Kristen S. (2013). The performance of college students with and without ADHD: Neuropsychological, academic, and psychosocial functioning. J. Psychopathol. Behav. Assess. 35, 421–435. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-013-9351-8
Wright, S. A. (2011). Functional Impairments of College Students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Necessary Modifications for Higher Education (Doctoral dissertation, West Virginia University). ProQuest LLC. https://doi.org/10.33915/etd.3043
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
The authors who publish in Eesti Haridusteaduste Ajakiri. Estonian Journal of Education agree to the following terms:
- This journal provides immediate open access to its content. All the articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License.
- Authors grant the journal right of (1) first publication and distribution of the article, (2) making it available to public, (3) public presentation.
- Authors have the right to enter into separate contractual arrangements for posting the article to an institutional repository or publish it in a book with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted to post citations from their work online (e.g. on their website) with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal (see Open Access).
