Academic delay

By Firdaws Dabban. The concept of academic delay: academic delay is a state of backwardness, delay or deficiency in attainment for mental, physical, social or intellectual reasons, such that the rate of attainment falls below the ordinary average level by more than two negative deviations. The operational definition of academic delay: academic delay is the fall in the marks a pupil obtains in the objective tests of the school subjects below 50% of the full mark, whether in term examinations or in monthly tests and assignments. How academic delay is identified: in order to determine whether a pupil is academically delayed or not, several tests must be conducted: 1. Intelligence tests. 2. Aptitude tests. 3. Tests of personal and social adjustment. First: intelligence tests. Intelligence, as is known, is the capacity to learn and to acquire experience, and the greater the intelligence, the greater the capacity to learn. It is natural that all children differ from one another in their level of intelligence, just as they differ in physical capacity. In the past scholars were concerned with the quantity of a child's intelligence in general, but new research has revealed that there are many kinds of intelligence, for we may find a pupil excelling in mathematics but weak in composition and expression. Intelligence tests are of the utmost importance and our schools must take them into account in order to be able to do their work successfully. What do intelligence tests reveal to us? 1. These tests tell us whether the pupil's attainment matches his abilities or whether his attainment is below that, and to what extent. 2. They help us identify the areas of weakness that can be addressed in the pupil. 3. They help us accept the areas of deficiency or weakness in the pupil, so that we do not press him or burden him with what he cannot bear, causing him to flee school and expose his future to ruin. 4. These tests help us identify the pupil's areas of strength and excellence, which can be used to address his areas of weakness. 5. These tests help us direct the pupil in the right direction, so that he is not exposed to failure and to the waste of efforts and money. 6. They show us the individual differences among pupils, and this matter is of the greatest importance, which no successful teacher can do without, since attention to such tests is of great importance if we want to succeed in our educational work, avoid wasting efforts, take care of pupils' psychological circumstances and spare them everything that leads to a sense of failure, weak self-confidence, incapacity and a feeling of inadequacy. A pupil may resort to fleeing school if he finds himself unable to do his school duties like the rest of his classmates. Types of intelligence tests: there are two types of intelligence tests: 1. A type that measures mental ability in general: it shows us the relationship between the pupil's mental age and his chronological age, and this result is expressed as the intelligence quotient, where the IQ is measured by dividing the mental age by the chronological age multiplied by 100. If we suppose a child whose chronological age is 10 years and the results of the intelligence tests show his mental age to be 9 years, then his IQ equals 90%. It is clear that the average pupil has an IQ of 100%, and whoever has an IQ between 80 and 90% is below average, whoever has an IQ between 90 and 110 is of average intelligence, whoever has an IQ between 110 and 120 is intelligent, whoever has an IQ between 120 and 140 is very intelligent, and whoever has an IQ above 140 is a genius. 2. A type that measures the different kinds of mental abilities: it shows us the place of strength and the place of weakness, alongside overall intelligence, and naturally this type is more precise than the first test. Psychologists used to believe that the IQ was fixed and unchangeable, and some of them still hold this idea, but the evidence indicates that growth in a child's mental ability does not proceed at a single, regular pace; rather it is interspersed with periods of slowness and periods of speed, and it depends on the nature of development and its various factors. Intelligence is inevitably affected by the interaction between the two factors of heredity and environment, and if it turns out that the pupil's family suffer no disability, mental retardation or psychological disturbances, and if a healthy and suitable natural environment is available, then development proceeds in the best way. But there is a fact that should not be overlooked, namely that intelligence tests may not bring us to perfection, because of the existence of various factors that affect their precision, such as illness, psychological disturbance, and the experience the child has gained from his environment, because it plays an important role in the matter. In any case we can obtain results that are useful to a great extent if the tests we conduct are precise and if we take into account all the factors influencing this field. We must emphasise that a pupil's success in intelligence tests does not mean that he will not fail in his higher studies if he is forced to study a branch he does not want and for which he has no ability, and therefore there must be other tests that determine the direction the pupil should take. Second: aptitude tests. This kind of test has a particular importance, since it does not only give us the level of the pupil's ability in a given field at the time the test was conducted, but goes beyond that to reveal the level his abilities may reach in this field if he receives the necessary care and attention from those who raise him at home and at school. Among the common kinds of these tests: 1. The test of musical ability. 2. The test of artistic ability, in drawing, sculpture and acting. 3. The test of mechanical ability. 4. The test of literary ability. With these kinds of tests we can determine the pupil's aptitude in these fields and the extent to which this aptitude can be developed in any of these fields, so that we may direct him in the right direction that enables him to succeed in it with distinction. Third: tests of personal and social adjustment. These tests reveal to us the pupil's inclinations, temperament and personal problems. They do not give us definite answers, right or wrong, to the questions posed, in which the pupil is asked to answer according to what he feels; rather they measure all the aspects of his personality. This kind of test is of great importance to the processes of upbringing and teaching, because a teacher cannot bring up his pupils properly and teach them easily unless he understands each pupil properly, in terms of inclinations, wishes and temperament, and identifies the problems he suffers at home and at school and works to overcome them. I have one last word to say with regret and bitterness: schools in most of what is called the third world pay no attention to these kinds of tests, and most of their attention is directed at attainment tests. Indeed I do not exaggerate if I say that many teachers have not heard of these tests and know nothing about them. And so educational and teaching methods have remained truncated and have caused the waste of children's efforts and capacities, and these schools must change their methods to make up for their shortcomings if they wish to raise their people to the ranks of the other advanced nations. Traits and characteristics of the academically delayed: First: mental traits and characteristics: A deficiency in intelligence, which is below average. An inability to concentrate and pay attention, and a weak memory. Weak thinking based on inference, and disturbed understanding. A limited capacity for creative thinking and attainment. An inability to think abstractly and use symbols. Failure to move in an orderly way from one idea to another. Attainment generally below average, and weak in particular subjects. Second: physical traits and characteristics: Exhaustion, tension and laziness. Nervous movements and tension. Poor general health. Weak senses such as hearing, sight, smell and taste. Second: emotional traits and characteristics: Disturbed emotions, anxiety, lethargy and dullness. Depression and emotional instability. Feelings of guilt, inadequacy, failure, helplessness and despair. Jealousy, resentment and shyness. Absorption in daydreams, absent-mindedness and aggression. Withdrawal from social situations and seclusion. Third: personal and social traits and characteristics: A limited capacity for self-direction or for adapting to new or changing situations. Withdrawal from social situations, and thence seclusion, isolation, passivity and delinquency. Types of academic delay: academic delay differs from one pupil to another, and each type of academic delay has its causes, circumstances and ways of being addressed. In summary its types can be identified as follows: 1. Pathological academic delay: this type requires medical treatment, and its treatment is often difficult. 2. Non-organic delay: this type can be treated by scientific educational means, and it is what the school can do in cooperation with the home. This type of delay may be in all lessons, or it may be a delay in some lessons, or a delay in only one lesson, and the delay may be temporary or may continue for a long time, and each of these types has its causes and its means of treatment. There are other types of academic delay: 1. General academic delay: this is in all school subjects and is linked to dullness, where the IQ ranges between 71 and 85. 2. Specific academic delay: this is in one particular subject or subjects only, such as arithmetic for example, and is linked to a deficiency in ability. 3. Permanent academic delay: where the pupil's attainment falls below the level of his ability over a period of time. 4. Situational academic delay: linked to particular situations, so that the pupil's attainment falls below the level of his ability because of bad experiences such as transferring from one school to another or the death of a family member. 5. Real academic delay: a backwardness linked to a deficiency in the level of intelligence and abilities. 6. Apparent academic delay: a false, unusual backwardness due to non-mental causes and which can therefore be treated. Criteria for diagnosing academic delay: 1. The absence of motivation to learn. 2. A normal level of intelligence, usually 90 points and above. 3. Usually linked to undesirable behaviours or constant frustration from repeated failed experiences. 4. Low in all subjects with clear neglect or a genuine problem. 5. Repeated absence from school and dropping out. Causes of academic delay: academic delay is the product of many interlinked factors that vary in their strength and consequences among the categories of the academically delayed. Among these factors are those that appear early in the pupil's life and those whose appearance is delayed; some appear directly and some appear in a number of symptoms. Some of these factors are temporary and incidental and some are permanent. These factors can be classified as follows: 1. Mental factors: A low IQ. An inability to concentrate. Absent-mindedness and daydreaming. Slow reading. Difficulty dealing with numbers. An inability to remember and to connect things. 2. Physical factors: A weak constitution. Being affected by an illness. Weak hearing. Weak sight. Enlarged tonsils. Nasal polyps. Difficulty in speech. 3. Social environment factors: A low level of family income. The family's weak means. The absence of a suitable atmosphere for study. The pupil being busy with work. The family's low cultural level. A lack of encouragement. The family's modest hopes and ambitions. Family disputes. The loss of one of the parents. Negative treatment and a disturbed relationship with the parents. Bad company among friends. 4. Psychological factors: Disturbed emotions. Anxiety, fear, shyness. Weak self-confidence. Dislike of the subject. Dislike of the teacher or the school. Feelings of despair and hopelessness. Obsessions. Fantasies. 5. Personal factors: Poor use and organisation of time. Low motivation to learn. Ignorance of study methods. Repeated absence. A lack of interest in homework. Postponing study or revision until the end of the year. 6. School factors: The teachers' manner of treatment. The negative position of the school's administration. The unavailability of the textbook. An insufficient number of teachers. The teacher's lack of interest in pupils' problems. An inability to adapt to the school. The difficulty and number of assignments. The nature of the examinations. The teacher's lack of interest in the pupil. The teacher's lack of interest in the subject. Treating academic delay: 1. Analysing and modifying the psychological causes leading to academic delay. 2. Encouraging self-modification of behaviour. 3. Internal dialogue with oneself. 4. Continuous supervision of their study and helping them overcome the difficulties they face. 5. Working to uncover their talents and hobbies and providing the means that help develop and satisfy them. 6. Helping them organise their time and setting aside particular times for study and others for rest and play with their peers. 7. Making parents aware of the dangers of using coercive methods with them or burdening them beyond their capacities, which causes them an aversion to school. Guidance for parents: 1. The parents' basic task is to encourage the child to progress and to give him self-confidence, by providing love, tenderness and full understanding. 2. Creating cooperation and communication between the family and the school. 3. Not turning the child into a subject for mockery and ridicule. 4. Not using the method of favouritism among siblings. 5. Family cohesion and unity and easing the intensity of family problems.