Gender differences in the achievement goal orientations of ADHD children

The purpose of this investigation was to extendthe research on achievement goal orientations in normalpopulations to children withattention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD (N= 37) and control (N = 36) boys and girls ranging in age from 7to 12 participated in an experimentaltask that allowedfor the assessment of goal orientations in the contextofa failure situation. Analyses revealed that ADHD children differed from control children onself-report measures of attributional style andwell-being. In addition, the achievement goalorientations adopted by ADHD children were notconsistent with those of normal boys. Persistence following failurealso differed between ADHD and control children. Theimplications of these results for individuals workingwith ADHD children are discussed.