The Effects of Cultural Difference on the Rating of ADHD* Symptoms: A Comparison between Chinese and British Teachers’ Ratings

Abstract

The observation of children's behaviour by teachers is a valuable source of information used to reveal behavioural issues in children. This study investigates the effect of culture difference on teachers’ ratings of ADHD symptoms. Six animated cartoons representing six ADHD symptoms in a classroom setting were developed. In each cartoon, there are five characters portrayed as 6 to 7 year-old children without cultural or gender references. Chinese and British primary school teachers teaching 6 to 7-year-old children were asked to watch the cartoons and subsequently rate the behaviours of each character. In addition, every teacher was asked to rate 10 randomly selected children from their own class. Data analysis is in progress. It is hoped that a statistical comparison of ratings provided by teachers from different cultures will shed light on whether there are differences in teacher’s ratings and whether these are due to perceived or actual behavioural difficulties.