The Future of Education
The Influence of an Intervention Program in the Field of Time Management, among Students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD
Anat Frishman Shitrit, Kibbutzim College of Education (Israel)
Ofira Tykochinsky, Kibbutzim College of Education (Israel)
Abstract
Time management is one of the main difficulties amongst students with learning disabilities, and it negatively affects their academic and personal life. Time management difficulties do not go hand in hand with their cognitive abilities, hence they lead to despair, frustration and feelings of incompetence.
The interventional program focused on creating awareness and internalization of strategies in the field of environmental management, time management and learning management.
The intervention model in this study is based on the Human Occupational model (Kielhofner, 2004) which focuses on three components: the person's components, the component of the occupation and the components of the environment.
The study has several purposes first, to examine to which extent the interventional program affected the participants' organization of their Physical learning environment. Second, to examine to what extent the interventional program affected the participants in the field of time management. Third, to examine to what extent the interventional program affected the participants in the area of learning management. Lastly, to examine the influence of the interventional program on the participants feelings of self-efficacy and control over learning.
Methodology: The study included 28 adult participants diagnosed with learning disabilities and/or ADHD who were part of NIZANE MAHUT preparatory program which took place in Mahut center in Kibbutzim College of Education. The participants completed a questionnaire regarding their position toward the components of the intervention program, before and after using the program. In addition, 5 personal interviews were carried out.
Finding& Discussion: The results show that the ability to manage time and to control the learning environment using different methods, allows the students to take control of their lives and to improve their cognitive function. Additionally, the intervention helped them to achieve goals during the time of the program, and continued to support them long term even two years following the program. It seems that learning of organizational planning skills contributes to the sense of 'SELF' and also improves academic achievements.
Due to the findings, we recommend that the research will be used by all of preparatory students Prior to and during their academic studies.
