Concentration ability in Ethiopian classrooms : a study of salutogenic factors and how they affect children’s ability focusing in lessons

Abstract: This is an ethnographic study, highlighting protecting factors for children‘s ability to focus. Schools must do its very best for children, increasing their possibilities to concentrate, since this has a significant impact on both school performance and social interaction. Schools have limited resources. Can knowledge and experience from a developing country give useful and interesting input? Are there health factors for this group of pupils in an African school? The purpose of this research is to study children’s attention abilities and investigate supporting factors for pupil’s possibilities to concentrate as well as to determine the usefulness of these experiences in a Swedish school. In this study I found five salutogenic factors, which seemed to have a positive impact on children‘s ability to concentrate: Having possibilities to study makes a big difference if you are living in Ethiopia, so the importance of expectation is one of the factors. Expectations, from both society and families encouraged the pupils to do their best. Children are seen close to each other in bare classrooms. One can see them helping each other to focus during lessons. Cooperation and fellowship seemed to provide security and happiness, and thus, in turn increased the children‘s possibilities to pay attention and absorb knowledge. Learning at appropriate level in a collective learning process possibly helped pupils with problems in the area of attention/ concentrate. In addition to these environmental, salutogenic factors figured the use of a drug.In countries around the Horn of Africa is use of the herb ―khat‖ common. Some of the children self-medicate themselves to increase their concentration ability.