Design and Validation of a Deep Processing-Based Cognitive Rehabilitation Package for Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Keywords:
Cognitive Rehabilitation, Deep Processing, Attention, Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Executive Functions, Meta, LearningAbstract
Purpose: This study aimed to identify the theoretical foundations, content components, and implementation principles required to develop and validate a deep processing-based cognitive rehabilitation package for students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Methods and Materials: This qualitative study employed a documentary analysis design. Persian- and English-language scientific sources related to ADHD, executive functions, meta-learning, and deep processing were systematically and purposively searched. Following identification, screening, and full-text assessment, 36 eligible sources were included in the analysis. Extracted data were analyzed using thematic network analysis. Based on the resulting thematic framework, an initial intervention package consisting of one introductory session and 12 main sessions was developed. The package was subsequently evaluated by 10 experts for content validity, and the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and Content Validity Index (CVI) were calculated. Expert feedback was also incorporated into the final revision of the intervention.
Findings: The thematic analysis yielded 32 basic themes, six organizing themes, and three global themes: cognitive and meta-learning components, deep processing strategies, and principles of intervention design and implementation. Working memory, response inhibition, cognitive shifting, and meta-learning constituted the four principal intervention domains, while deep processing strategies were integrated across all modules. Of the 24 evaluated components, 23 achieved the minimum acceptable CVR criterion. The mean CVR for the package components was 0.81, and the overall mean content validity index was 0.91, indicating satisfactory expert agreement regarding the necessity, relevance, and appropriateness of the developed package. Expert review additionally resulted in refinement of session content, exercise difficulty levels, progression criteria, implementation instructions, and parental involvement.
Conclusion: The developed deep processing-based cognitive rehabilitation package demonstrated satisfactory theoretical coherence and content validity for students with ADHD; however, its educational and clinical effectiveness should be established through controlled empirical studies.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Zahra Janghorbanian (Author); Mansoureh Hajhosseini (Corresponding author); Rouhollah Shahabi (Author)
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