Different, like everybody else: three children with ADHD and their experience of Physical Education

Abstract

This master’s thesis is a qualitative phenomenological research that seeks to learn more on how children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience physical education. This group of children has different traits and bias concerning their relation to the school setting (Engh 2014, Rønhovde 2004), which I wanted to learn more about. Phenomenological research seeks to answer the question as to what the nature of a phenomenon is, and how the phenomenon is essential to the human experience. The focus was continuously on the experience of physical education (PE) for three children, with the selection criteria: diagnosed with ADHD. In my attempt to keep true to the participants’ experiences I utilized the phenomenological frameworks of Max van Manen. Methods of collecting material and the analytical approaches are informed by the work of Steinar Kvale. The empirical material is based on unstructured interviews and observations of three children (one boy and two girls) at three different secondary schools in Norway. All three participate in the general education. The experiences that I encountered through interviews and observations was analyzed and structured into three themes: ‘Structure’ ‘Physical Value/Valued Activities’ and ‘Heat of the moment’.