Physical, mental and emotional characteristics differ from individual to individual. Therefore all children in a school are not alike. Ex: some learn quickly and others in a sluggish manner, some remember well and some others forget etc.

1. Dr.M.Deivam
Assistant Professor
Department of Education
The Gandhigram Rural Institute (Deemed to be University)
Gandhigram, Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu – 624 302

2. Individual differences in learning
• Individual differences: Meaning
• Individual differences: Definition
• Individual differences: Types
• Individual differences: Causes
• Individual differences: Areas / Aspects
• Individual differences: Educational
Implications

3. Individual differences: Meaning
• Physical, mental and emotional
characteristics differ from individual to
individual. Therefore all children in a
school are not alike.
• Ex: some learn quickly and others in a
sluggish manner, some remember well
and some others forget etc.

4. Individual differences: Definition
• According to R.S.Woodworth and
D.G.Marquis – “Individual differences are
found in all psychological characteristics:
Physical abilities, mental abilities,
knowledge, habits, personality and
character traits”

5. Individual differences: Types
• Individual differences within the individual
• Individual differences between the
individuals
• Individual differences among the
individuals

6. Individual differences within the individual
• Every individual has his own different
amounts of skills and abilities in him. If we
compare the marks scored by an
individual in subjects like Tamil, English,
Mathematics, Science and Social Science
et., we can see that each student has his
varying amount of different skills in him.

7. Individual differences between the
individuals
• Naturally an infant differs from the child
and child from an adolescent and so on.
Similarly, a boy differs from a girl. Age or
sex also creates differences between two
individuals. This is also called as inter
individual differences.

8. Individual differences among the
individuals
• Some students are bright in most things and
others are rather consistently not equal to them.
Some are more interested in their own thoughts
and feelings than in things outside themselves,
they are Introverts Extroverts are those who are
more interested in outside things than
themselves. Some are blessed and gifted and
others are backward or under poverty. These
individual differences are also called as intra
individual differences.

9. Individual differences: Causes
– Influence of Heredity
– Influence of Environment
– Influence of Race and Nationality
– Influence of Economic Condition and
Education
– Influence of Sex

10. Influence of Heredity
• According to psychologists McDougall,
Pearson, Galton, et. Heredity is the chief
cause of individual differences. A person
gets his body, shape, complexion, etc.
from heredity. The parental seed has its
influence not only a his body but also on
his mental traits. Often the children of
sharp parents are sharp and of dull
parents.

11. Influence of Environment
• Environment also has influence on individual
differences. Environment is of two types. The
social environment also has its influence. A
person has his lifestyle, conduct and behaviour
according to the society that he lives in. If a child
from Hindi belt goes to live among Sindhis,
Tamil or Bengalish, his lfiestyle, language too
changes accordingly. Thus the neighborhood
brings individual differences in the child.

12. Influence of Race and
Nationality
• Individual difference depend on racial and national basis
also. A person has the characteristics of the race and
nation in which he born. A child born in a Brahmin or
Kshatriya family has inclination for studies or martial
activities. The traits that a Hindu child begets, are
different from those of a Muslim or Christian child. In the
same way, difference found in the conduct, nature,
interest, physical and mental condition and personality is
due to their difference in the country.

13. Influence of Economic condition
and Education
• Individual difference are also found due to
economic condition and education. Parent’s
economic condition, lifestyle, occupation and
education have deep impact on the children.
The personality development of the rich, high
lifestyle and educated families is good, while
those of poor, illiterate families is not and they
are unable to learn good habits. As a result,
difference are in found in them though
intelligence is the same in them.

14. Influence of Sex
• Physical and mental differences are found in
boys and girls. Girls attain maturity one or two
years prior to boys. The girls are soft, kind,
affectionate, shy and peaceful, while the boys
are harsh, courageous, angry, clever, brave and
skillful. The boys have more capacity for
physical work, arithmetical ability and intensity of
imaginations, while the girls are better in
memory, art abilities and domestic tasks.

15. Individual differences: Areas / Aspects
– Differences in Physical characteristics
– Differences in mental abilities
– Differences in Aptitude
– Differences in Achievement
– Differences in motor abilities
– Differences in attitudes
– Differences in personality traits
– Interests

16. Differences in Physical
characteristics
• Children have difference in physical
characteristics like height, weight,
complexion etc. There may be some
children with physical deformities in
hearing and seeing or physical
handicapped. Hence, there is need for
diagnosis for remedial work for their
rehabilitation.

17. Differences in mental abilities
• We also realise that mental abilities also
differ. It can be evidently seen, if we
conduct an intelligence test for a group of
individuals. The result will show that there
are gifted, average in intelligence, feeble
minded among them. That is why there is
an ultimate need for individualised
instruction to the children.

18. Differences in Aptitude
• Aptitude is the inner capacity to learn. It is
an inborn ability or potentiality. Mechanical
and musical aptitude tests are intended to
foresee the ability which are inherent in
them.

19. Difference in Achievement
• The achievement test and standardized
achievement test conducted by the
teacher are signs of measurement to know
the achievement of pupils. Depending
upon their skills and aims, children differ in
their achievement. Diagnostic test are also
to be used in schools.

20. Differences in motor abilities
• Children show differences in motor
abilities like running, jumping, speed of
writing etc.

21. Differences in Attitude
• According to Thurstone, attitude is the
degree of positive or negative affect
(feeling) associated with some
psychological object. Psychological object
consists of any institute, person or idea.
The aim of Education is to establish
desirable attitudes and to modify some
attitudes that need change.

22. Differences in personality traits
• Children also differ widely in their
personality traits. A trait is a distinguishing
quality of a person. Personality
inventories, and projective techniques may
be conducted to assess personality traits
and specialised education may be
provided accordingly.

23. Individual differences: Educational
Implications
– Proper assessment of abilities (different abilities inherent)
– Size of the class (limiting the class size)
– Expectation of teachers (success and failure)
– Formation of attitudes (positive attitude towards weaker
students)
– Modification of curriculum (Cover all the students)
– Homogeneous grouping ( grouping intelligence students and
suitable curriculum)
– Good school environment (Congenial environment)
– Identification of special talents (special attention to enrich their
education)
– Continuous educational provisions
– Individualised education (Project method, assignment, PLM etc.)

24. Thank you