| There is a dearth of literature investigating methods of academic remediation for students with symptoms of inattention. For this population, research and intervention has primarily focused on medical and behavioral treatments. However, these treatments have not been successful over the long-term in improving academic outcomes for this population. This author hypothesized that academic preparation in the form of homework and study skill behavior would mediate the adverse effect inattention has on academic functioning.; In order to test whether academic preparation was a mediator, the mediation procedure of Baron and Kenny (1986) and Judd and Kenny (1981) was used. The data of 729 participants who were referred to an ADHD evaluation and treatment center were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Additional analyses were conducted to explore possible differences between gender and age groups.; The results of the study confirmed that inattention symptoms do have an adverse effect on academic functioning, but there was no support for academic preparation in the form of homework and study skill behavior as a mediator for any of the analyses. However, given that some of the analyses almost achieved statistical significance supports the possibility of academic preparation serving as an area of mediation. The author primarily attributes the lack of statistically significant results to the homogeneity of the sample. The consequent restricted variance may have interfered with the ability to achieve statistically significance. A more diverse sample, possibly school-based, may be needed for future analyses. |
