Back to: UGC NET Paper 1: Teaching Aptitude Notes (Unit 1)
Meaning, Concept and Nature of Individual Differences in Education
Meaning of Individual Differences in Education
1. James Drever:
“Individual Differences are deviations from the average of the group, with respect to the mental or physical characteristics occurring in the individual members of the group.”
2. Carter B. Good’s Educational Dictionary:
”An individual difference stands for the variations or deviations among individuals in regard to a single characteristic or a number of characteristics.”
3. Skinner(1962):
“Today, we think of individual differences as including any measurable aspect of the total personality.That vast range of variations, which are visible generally in all humans.”
4. C.V. Good:
“The variation or deviations among individual is regard to a single characteristics or a number of characteristics, those differences which in their totality distinguish one individual from another.”
5. R.S. Woodworth and D.G. Marquis:
“Individual differences are found in all psychological characteristics physical mental abilities, knowledge, habit, personality and character traits.”
Concept and Nature of Individual Differences in Education
1. Individual Differences are the characteristics that are specific in nature and differentiate a person from another. For instance, everyone has a different perception of the world.
2. There can be different types of individual differences such as different tastes, preferences, needs, intrinsic and extrinsic potential towards society and self.
3. Individual differences also include differences in physical characteristics, mental characteristics, and psychological characteristics.
4. Individual differences among individuals also exist in physical forms like in height, weight, colour, complexion strength, etc., the difference in intelligence, achievement, interest, attitude, aptitude, learning habits, motor abilities, skill.
5. Experience and learning also contributes to the intellectual capacity of a person which also differentiates their individuality.
John P.De Ceeceo states,
“The psychology of individual differences is largely the study of group differences. This study classifies individuals by age, traits, sex, race, social class and so on, and observes the differences within and between those groups. Physical, mental, social and cultural differences etc. are being studied, under individual differences.”
