ADHD and academic achievement in college students: a meta-analysis

¶ … ADHD and achievement: Meta-Analysis of the child, adolescent, and adult literatures and a concomitant study with college students" by Frazier (et al. 2007) was to examine the role of the learning disability ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in determining the academic performance of students in college. Previous literature reviews had indicated that students with ADHD more likely than their non-LD counterparts to fail or repeat grades. However, there were a number of problems with these previous studies: first, not all ADHD students manifest academic problems. Secondly, other features of ADHD academic achievement like content domains (math vs. reading) and student demographics have not been rigorously studied. The study compared previous existing research studies of ADHD students to provide greater clarity upon the issue and then conducted a small, preliminary study of college students with ADHD at a single university.

Description of participants/sample

The article deployed two different kinds of research on ADHD students. The first study was a large meta-analysis of previous research which found multiple academic achievement problems for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Age, gender, achievement domains, measurement methods (standardized testing vs. self-reports), samples, and diagnostic methods were all assessed. The second study was deliberately narrower in its intention and specifically focused on college students. Although the results were comparable to that of a meta-analysis, the second study was small and preliminary in nature and involved a self-reported quantitative questionnaire administered to both students and parents. The second study focused primarily upon college students with ADHD as a distinct phenomenon: "College students with ADHD are likely to have (a) higher ability levels, (b) greater academic success during primary and secondary school, and (c) better compensatory skills than individuals with ADHD from the general population" thus it was hypothesized they might exhibit different features than the general population (Fraizer et al. 2007).

Methods of data collection

In the first study, the 79 post-1990 articles subjected to the meta-analysis were accrued through a widespread search of various journal articles, and then analyzed according to the criteria determined by the researchers regarding the academic performance of ADHD students and their characteristics. In the second study, a population of 380 parent-student dyads was analyzed for similar characteristics using quantitatively-assessable inventories.

In the first study, homogeneity analyses was used to provide an "analysis of variance, in that homogeneity is the sum of squares of effect sizes about their weighted mean. The homogeneity statistic has a chi-square distribution with k-1 df, where k is the number of contributing effect sizes. Thus, homogeneity evaluates whether the observed effect sizes are likely to result from the sampling of one population" (Fraizer et al. 2007).

In the second study, CARE had been externally validated through multiple previous studies and "the three factor-based scores from the SRI [student response inventory] and the two factor-based scores from the PRI [parent response inventory] were supported through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses with independent replications" in comparing the criteria for ADHD with the current DSM definition (Fraizer et al. 2007).

Results

The meta-analysis of existing studies found a strong correlation between ADHD and problems with academics across all variables. "Standardized achievement tests-particularly reading measures-produced the largest effect sizes" (Fraizer et al. 2007). A greater negative impact upon reading performance was found and the effects of the LD were less noticeable to some degree with age. Reading performance, more so than math and spelling, was impacted. In the second study of college students, "the results indicated that ADHD symptoms continue to be significantly associated with problems in academic functioning at the college level," both according to student and parent self-reports, and also according to objective data, such as being on academic probation (Fraizer et al. 2007)

Analysis

Opportunities for further research

The research of the article remains preliminary: specifically in terms of how college students with ADHD perform, questions arise to what degree various demographic factors may affect overall performance. The college-based sampling was disproportionately female, thus the effects of gender, socio-demographic status, as well as the severity of the disorder and placement in college must be further segmented and studied. Other questions which arise are if students at high-level academic institutions are more likely to experience problems than students in other academic contexts or if support programs might be helpful to ADHD students.

Threats to validity

The research is admittedly preliminary, and particularly in regards to the college student population, further insight is needed. Also questions remain as to what precisely is the phenomenon being studied for both parents and students "inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity and academic achievement at the college level" may be quite subjective, and even in the case of the meta-analysis, definitions of ADHD may vary in terms of the ways in which students were classified (Fraizer et al. 2007).

Other insight or criticism

Although the contextualization of the meta-analysis was useful, in terms of the value of the study of college students, the relatively small sampling at a single university means that the results must be viewed with caution. The effects of ADHD were slightly less severe for college students in comparison with the meta-analysis, but that may be due to the small sampling size which was not fully representative of the ADHD population.

Implications of the findings

Results suggest that ADHD has a significant impact upon academic achievement for students at all levels, despite the recent development of various medications and coping strategies to treat the condition. Further research is required to better determine what subsets of this LD population are most severely impacted and how to help them.

Reference

Fraizer, T. (et al. 2007). ADHD and achievement: Meta-Analysis of the child, adolescent, and adult literatures and a concomitant study with college students. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 40(1): 49-65.