Factors responsible for Individual Differences

There are many factors responsible for individual differences. Some of the important ones from educational point of view are listed below:

• Chronological Age of the Children:The children may join school at different age levels. So, there may be students in a particular class widely differing in age. Other factors being equal, an older child will definitely show greater maturity in learning.
• Physical constitution of the individuals: A healthy child is a great advantage simply because he has more stamina to put in hard work.
• Level of Intelligence: There is a marked difference in the level of intelligence of the pupils, which affects significantly their speed and level of learning. Difference in intelligence is one of the fundamental causes of individual differences.
• Aptitude for Academic Pursuits: Pupils differ in their aptitude for learning. Those with greater aptitude for academic studies will show greater progress in learning.
• Interest in Studies: Progress in learning is directly proportional to the degree of interest in studies. Even more than intelligence, it is difference in interest which results in the different levels of progress.
• Readiness for Learning: Children also differ in their stage of readiness to learn. Thus, children of the same age are not necessarily at the same stage of readiness to learn. The Fictor must also be taken into consideration Che teacher.
• Influence of Heredity: An individual is a product of heredity and environment. And though, the teacher has to accept the heredity of the child as something fixed, he can devise his methods of education which can help the heredity potentialities of the child to develop to the maximum.
• Environment and Differences in background: This is an important factor of individual differences. The home environment, the academic interests of the family, the economic and social status of the family, all combine to form the environment for a particular child. Better environment leads to better academic achievements.

These are some of the important factors in which the individual pupils differ from each.