Date of Award
12-1-2014
Degree Name
Master of Science in Education
Department
Curriculum and Instruction
First Advisor
Thompson, Dr. Stacy
Abstract
In an era where the diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is as high as 7% in school-aged children, the search for causes and preventions has never been more important. Current research indicates a positive relationship between bilingualism, particularly native bilingualism, and executive function in normally developing individuals. This study served to examine the potential relationship between bilingual education in a public school setting and the presence of ADHD symptoms in that school's students. This was a comparative analysis of students in a South Florida School District's two-way immersion program with the national average in terms of frequency of ADHD symptoms using the NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Scale and the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham (SNAP). The results did not show any significant differences between groups in terms of language history, gender, race, or family structure.
Access
This thesis is Open Access and may be downloaded by anyone.