Learning languages? Err... No, thank you!: Finding techniques to help ADHD students learn and revise languages at home

Details

Supervisors

Meunier, Fanny

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en langues et lettres modernes, orientation germaniques, à finalité didactique

Abstract

In the last decades, language learning has become tremendously important in schools over the world. Therefore, language-related difficulties have already been deeply researched and methods have been designed to support learners with disorders at school. However, little focus has been laid on individual learning at home, especially regarding students affected by Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This master dissertation thus aims to explore methods that may support ADHD learners’ language learning at home, assisted by family members or individually. These methodologies will address specific difficulties encountered by ADHD individuals, such as concentration or vocabulary learning difficulties. This exploratory study will adopt a case study design, in which the developed methods will be experimented during private English lessons with a 13-year-old teenager, who is a family member of the researcher. Qualitative data will be collected with the use of an observation grid and interviews carried out in the subject’s native language, thus providing insight into effective techniques that may be replicated in further studies. In consideration of this research’s conditions, this thesis is made particularly for parents and tutors who desire to support their ADHD child in language learning. Teachers may also find this dissertation useful for guiding disoriented parents in assisting ADHD learners at home.