PIX2001
EDUCATIONAL
PSYCHOLOGY
DR. AI
CHAPTER 7
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
Individual differences are the unique characteristics and traits,
which distinguish us from others.
As teachers, we must be aware of about students’ individual
differences such as differences in culture, ethnicity, intelligent,
languages, learning styles, etc.
It is because it may enhance students’ understanding or limit their
opportunity to learn from the school environment.
These factors should be taken into consideration when we plan
teaching and learning process in the classroom.
WHAT CAUSES INDIVIDUAL
DIFFERENCES IN LEARNING?
Hereditary Environmental
Socio-economic
Physical characteristics Parenting
eg height, hair color etc Peers
intelligence, creativity Culture
Gender Facilities
Personality
CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Culture has impact on our student’s
socialization
culture governs how we think and feel, how we
behave and how we live, and it is born largely
of socialization.
Cultural diversity also can manifest in our
views of the life cycle, decorum & discipline,
health & hygiene, values, work & play, and time
& space.
As teachers, we have to understand these
cultural diversities and try to accommodate
to these differences.
GENDER DIFFERENCES
Developmental rates: “Girls develop faster
with differences in verbal and motor skills
appearing at an early age” (Egan & Kauchak,
1997).
Expectation for school success- “Parents’
gender-stereotyped attitudes toward girls’
ability in math, adversely influence their
daughters’ achievement in math and their
attitudes toward it.” (Nagy-Jacklin, 1989)
GENDER DIFFERENCES
Academic area: “Boys did better in math
and on visual and spatial tasks, example
tasks in geometry. Girls did better in on
verbal skills such as in languages.”
(Maccoby & Jacklin, 1974)
Classroom behavior: “Boys tend to be
physically more active than girls, girls
are more likely to express their opinion in
small-group discussion.
PROMOTING GENDER EQUITY
Eliminate gender differences in the class.
Provide equal opportunities for males &
females.
Use knowledge of gender differences to
create greater equity, not to form
expectations about how well males &
females are likely to perform it.
When planning lesson/activity, consider
typical interests & activities levels of
both boys & girls.
DIFFERENCES IN SOCIO-
ECONOMIC STATUS (SES)
SES: combination of parents’ income,
occupations, and level of education
Variations in wealth, power, control over
resources, & prestige.
“SES consistently predicts intelligence and
achievement test scores, grades, truancy
and dropout and suspension rates.”
(Ballantine, 1989)
Differences in children’s interests,
tendencies and character are caused by
economic differences.
DIFFERENCES IN SOCIO-
ECONOMIC STATUS (SES)
Challenges associated with poverty:
Poor nutrition & health
inadequate housing & frequent moves
exposure to toxic substances
unhealthy social environment
emotional stress
gaps in background knowledge
lower-quality school
DIFFERENCES IN SOCIO-
ECONOMIC STATUS (SES)
student’s autonomy and responsibility: High-
SES parents emphasize self-direction, self-
control, & individual responsibility while low-
SES parents place greater emphasis on
conformity and obedience.
interaction pattern: “High SES parents are
more likely to ask “wh” questions (who, when,
where, why) promoting language development,
provide strong foundation for reading and
vocabulary development.”
DIFFERENCES IN SOCIO-
ECONOMIC STATUS (SES)
Teacher have to help students from poor
family to excel by motivating them to learn
Give extra-class to help them catch up with
the other students
Help excellent students to get sponsorship
fostering resilience, be a dependable source
of academic & emotional support
Build on student’s strengths
identify & provide missing resources &
experiences important for successful
learning.
EMOTIONAL DIFFERENCES
Some students prominent in +ve emotions
(eg. love, affection etc), but in some
students -ve emotions are more powerful.
Students also differ in the manner they
express their emotions.
Some are emotionally stable and mature,
while others are emotionally unstable &
immature.
DIFFERENCES IN SELF-CONCEPT
Self-concept: set of beliefs that an individual has
about him/herself; built over time, determined by
the lived experiences of each individual,
influenced by the social and cultural environment
How individuals perceive themselves across
various domains, including their abilities, traits,
and identities
Positive self-concept played an important role in
student adjustment and academic performance
during schooling.
DIFFERENCES IN SELF-ESTEEM
Self-esteem: overall evaluation of one’s
worth and value
Influenced by experiences, social
comparisons, feedback from others
Feeling of competence in academics,
relationships, and physical abilities
SELF CONCEPT & SELF-ESTEEM
Self-concept help lays the foundation for self-esteem.
How individuals perceive their abilities, traits, and
identities forms the basis of their overall evaluation
of self-worth and value.
SUPPORT +VE SELF CONCEPT &
HEALTHY SELF-ESTEEM
Maintain a safe and healthy learning environment
Establish and continually support a sense of belonging and
community for all students
Celebrate all students as individuals.
Promote kindness, teach empathy, & encourage students to
reflect on words, actions, & behaviors.
Provide guidance, encouragement, specific feedback, &
validation when students are working hard towards any
goal.
Turn mistakes, setbacks or failures into learning
opportunities by talking to students about what happened.
PERSONALITY DIFFERENCES
Psychological characteristics
Stable over time and across situations
A set of characteristics, rather than one trait
Makes the person unique and different from
others
ABILITIES & SKILLS
Ability, or aptitude, is a stable natural
talent for doing something mental or
physical.
A skill is an acquired talent that a
person develops related to a specific
task.
LEARNING STYLES
Imagine that you are learning how to perform a new physical skill
such as riding a bike or dancing a certain style of dance. In which
way would you learn this skill the best?
Look at pictures of people performing the skill. (Visual)
Listen to an expert explain how to do the task. (Auditory)
Read about how to perform the task in a book.
(Reading/Writing)
Watch someone else perform the skill and then trying it
yourself. (Kinesthetic)
HOW DO YOU LEARN BEST?
SCAN THIS VARK QUESTIONNAIRE
LEARNING STYLES
VISUAL LEARNERS AURAL LEARNERS
Learn best by seeing Learn best by hearing
Graphic displays such as information
charts, diagrams, Tend to get a great deal
illustrations, handouts, out of lectures and are
and videos are all good at remembering
helpful learning tools things they are told.
READING & WRITING KINESTHETIC
LEARNERS LEARNERS
Prefer to take in Learn best by touching
information that is and doing.
displayed as words and Hands-on experience is
text. important
OVERCOMING DIFFERENCES IN LEARNING
(TURHUSNA & SOLATUN, 2020)
Giving Students Equal Finding the Best Approach to
Treatment Education, apply various strategies
Providing the Right Inspiration Maintain proper interactions
cultivate a conducive learning
environment.
THANK
YOU