SLOW LEARNERS

DEFINITION AND MEANING OF BACKWARD

The term ‘backward child’ and backwardness has been defined on many ways.

1.   Barton Hall

“Backwardness in general, is applied to cases where their educational attainment falls below the level of their neutral abilities”.

2.   Schonell

“Backward pupil is one who compared with other pupils of the same chronological age shows marked educational deficiency.

3.   Burt

Backward child is “One who in mid-school career is unable to do the work of the class next below that which is normal for his age”.

v All the above definition lead us to conclude the following facts about backward child.

1.   He is a slow learner and fells difficulty in keeping pace with the normal school work.

2.   Educationally, he is not able to attain what he should. In other words, his educational attainment falls below his natural abilities.

3.   He falls far behind other children of his age in matters of study.

4.   Not only he is unable to learn in his class with the children of his own age but also feels difficulty in learning with the children of lower classes.

5.   Like mentally retarded and mentally handicapped children we cannot call a child backward merely on the basis of his I.Q. That is why no definition suggests on I.Q. level below which a child can definitely be called backward.

In actual sense, we can call a child backward only if his attainment falls below his natural ability. In order to decide whether a child having lower I.Q. is backward or not, he should be compared with the children possessing the same I.Q.

   Another striking fact about backward children is that they may be individuals possessing very superior intelligence or special ability and talents. These gifted students are found to be indifferent towards the school-work due to so many environmental and psychological reasons and thus lag behind in achievement. Therefore, backwardness is not supposed to be the characteristic confined to dull, mentally declined or retarded children. An average, superior or even genius child may also show backwardness. In true sense, any child who does not progress at the rate to which his abilities permit him can be termed as backward. Superior child posses superior abilities and potentialities and should, therefore, be supposed to show his intellectual superiority and if he does not show he should be termed as backward. He cannot be called backward unless he lags behind in achieving what he is supposed to achieve according to his abilities.

KINDS OF BACKWARDNESS

        Backwardness is supposed to be of two kinds. One is general backwardness which is, in fact, an all round backwardness. The child suffering from such backwardness is found to be weak in all the subject of the school curriculum. The other is specific backwardness. The child suffering from such backwardness lag behind in one or two specific subject only when in other he shows satisfactory or even extraordinary progress.

CAUSES OF BACKWARDNESS

        It is difficult to lists the general causes of backwardness as it is an individual problem and every individual problem is unique. But it is certain that the roots of backwardness of a child most lie within him or outside him in the environment moreover it is also found that usually there are so many factors or causes that operate together in a particular cause of backwardness.

CAUSES OR FACTORS LEADING TO BACKWARDNESS

A. Factors lying within the child

1.   Physiological or physical factors:- Physiological and physical condition of the child at every stage affects his educational attainments. Studies of Burt. Schonell and others have shows that majority of the educationally backward children suffer from some kind developmental or physical retardation. Either they are born with poor health, inherited lack of vitality and physical deformities or become the victims of the poor environment and thus suffer from physical ailment, chronic diseases and badly defects like defective vision, faulty hearing speech defects, left handedness etc. make them handicapped and they are necessarily developed as backward. Also it brings down their health to such an extent that they cannot devote proper time and energy for their studies such children are developed into educationally subnormal and termed as backward.

2.   Intellectual factor:- Intellectual inferiority in also found to be important contributory factor. Some children are born with some defects is their brain system or intellectual sub normality. These mentally handicapped or intellectually inferior children cannot keep pace with the normal school and prove to be very slow in learning. Burt on the basis of his studies, asserts that in majority of the cases defective intelligence or lower I.Q. has been found to be the sole cases of the backwardness in our common observation whose intellectual power like thinking and reasoning, concentration, observation and imagination power are not properly developed for one reason or other are generally drifted towards educational sub normality. Such children are not only affected in terms of quick understanding and grasping the meaning or remembering bur suffer also from emotional imbalance and social maladjustment which impedes progress in school subject the parental attitudes are either too hard or too indulgent or of slackness and carelessness or where there are unusual conflicts and quarrels the child’s psychological and social are not satisfied. In such environment the child neither feels secure nor gets proper love. Affection and guidance from his parents and hence become educationally subnormal.

3.   School Influence

Improper school atmosphere and the unfavorable conditions also contribute to the problem of backwardness more often irregular attendance or prolonged absence from school contributed much towards the scholastic sub normality of a child.

a.    The defective un interesting and ineffective teaching.

b.   Lack of equipment, facilities and provision for revision experimental and creating work, to curricular activities and varied experience etc..

c.    Poor administration and indiscipline.

4.    Neighborhood and other social agencies: The social environment of the child does not confine itself within the boundary walls of his home or the school. The neighborhood where the child has his home, the companions with whom he plays and gang with whom he associates himself, the members of the society who come into his contact, the press, ration, cinema, clubs, religious and social places that he visits all contribute to the problem of educational sub normality. It may colour his attitudes towards life work or studies and also divert his attention to other socially undesirable activities in place of school studies and consequently causes scholastic backwardness.

EDUCATION OF THE BACKWARD CHILDREN

Backward child as we have been above suffers from mental, emotional and social problems, besides defective intelligence and inherit physical.

B. Environmental Factors

Apart from the above factors lying within the child himself, environmental forces, specially home, neighborhood and school atmosphere exercise a good amount of influence upon the educational attainment of an individual. We describe these environmental factors.

1.   Home Influences:- Parents, the family relationships and the home atmosphere have a direct relationship with educational attainment of the child.

a.    The privileged home and well to do families are able to provide best amenities of living and proper facilities for getting education. In poor families not only the educational facilities but the most essential necessities of life are denied to the children due to unhygienic conditions and malnutrition the health of the these poor children is adversely affected. It reduces their learning capacity and thus make them backward. Usually in poor homes the children are required to perform many household activities or to help in family occupation as a result they devote lesser time to their studies. They also become tired with the tiresome work and thus are notable to pay proper attention to their studies at home as well as in school.

b.   Besides poverty, the intellectual inferiority and illiteracy of the parents also contribute towards the subnormal educational attainment of children. Such parents neither posses a positive attitude towards education nor they have sufficient ability to guide and help their studies.

c.    The family relationships and the behavior of the family members also contribute much in the direction. Stained relationships and improper behavior does not only disturb the sweet harmony of the home but also creates many emotional and social problems. The homes where there in divorce between parents or the child has its step father or mother or where characteristics to a great extent, he is a product of maladjustment and maltreatment. Like other children he needs security, love, affection and satisfaction of his urges of construction, self assertion etc. As a result he fails to pay required attention over his studies and thus become educationally subnormal or backward. After being named as backward he again becomes victim of serious maladjustment and behavioral problem. He becomes conscious of the backwardness and develops inferiority complex. Socially he becomes isolate or is turned into a delinquent child. The backward need careful attention. There is an urgent need of special education for the backward it will help us in saving huge wastage and stagnation and check the growth of problem children.

DIAGNOSIS OF THE CAUSE OR CAUSES

The primary task in planning for the education of the backward child is to ascertain the possible and more probable causes of backwardness.

1.   Attainment tests as well as the diagnostic tests should be used to assess the extent and nature of backwardness in specific subject.

2.   Intellectual level of the backward child can be assessed by any standard test of intelligence. As far as possible both verbal and performance.

3.   The child’s special abilities should also be ascertained by means of other psychological test.

4.   The socio economic status of the child’s family. The living conditions, education of the parents, size of the family, birth order relationship within the family, the nature of the gang influence and the social environment in which the child is living should also be carefully studied.

5.   The scholastic history of the child should be properly studies and his day to day individual and group behavior should be carefully evaluated.

EDUCATIONAL GUIDANCE OR TREATMENT OF BACKWARDNESS

We should make conscious effort in helping the child to get rid of his backwardness. The remedy of backwardness lies solely in its nature and extent as well as the causes which produce it. To every case of backwardness each case us unique and therefore needs individual attention and planned treatment depending upon the kind of his backwardness.

1.   Regular medical checkup and necessary treatment.

In cases of the backwardness where physical defects and ill health are found a contributing factor, there is a need of essential arrangement for regular medical checkup. School authorities with the cooperation of the parents and government should take steps for the treatment.

2.   Special coaching and proper individual attention

When the area and nature of the weakness is being spotted out through proper diagnostic test. In various subjects, arrangement for special coaching should be made for backward children individually or collectively as the situation demands. It can be given in terms of more practice, drill, repetition, review or explanation etc by providing such special coaching their deficiency and gaps can completed.

3.   Checking truancy and non attendance

Backwardness in some cases may be the result of irregular attendance, truancy or long absence from the schools. The cases for such lapse should be discovered and the desirable steps should be taken to remove them.

4.   Controlling negative environmental factors: The social surroundings and gang or peer group influences play a dominant role in coloring one’s interests, attitudes and vision of life. Therefore due care should be taken to remove or at least reduce the influence of these negative environmental factors which are responsible for the backwardness of the children. 

SANDHYA.C

SOCIAL SCIENCE