UNIT 12. FACTORS INFLUENCING LEARNING Structure 121 Induction 122 Objectives 123. Personal Factors Influencing Learning Sensation and Perception Fatigue and Boredom, ‘Age and Maturation Emotional Conditions News Interests Motivation Intelligence 1239. Aprile 123.10 Antinde 12.4 Environmental Factors Surroundi Natural, Social and Cultural 1242 Relaionship with Teachers, Parents and Pesss 124.3 Moa Influence on Learning 12.5. Methods of Leaming, 125.1 Whole Vs, Parts Leaming 1252 Madiating Method 1253 1254 Restation Mand Spaced Vs. Unsyaced Leansing 12.88 Memory Systems L Lams of Ascciation 16 Lass mn UP 12.7 Unitend Exercises 8 Answers fo Check Your Progress 9 Suggevied Readings Glossary 42.1 INTRODUCTION Inthe previous thrce units of this Block. you have studied the conceptof leaming, appeoaches {o leaming and domains of learning. A question related 10 learning that trikes the teacher's ‘mind is - Why is the extent of learning different for different students? Several factors or conditions nuay be responsible for differences in learning. In this unit, we shall discuss three factors which influence fearing, They are personal factors. enwinonuncetal factors and learning aethods related factors, 12.2 OBJECTIVES After going through this unit, you will be able to: ‘© classify persowal and environmental factors influencing learning: ‘© describe the persomil and environmental factors influencing learning, 5Understanding the Learn ‘© discuss various methods of learning which influence lean ng. and © explain how memory systems affect learning, 12.3, PERSONAE FACTORS INFLUENCING LEARNING ‘The process of learning is influenced by a varity of personal factors. A thorough knowledge of these factors will prove very helpful for teachers and parents in understanding and guiding their children’s learning, Some of the personal factors that influence the learning process 12) be classified as under sensation and perception, fatigue and boredow. atatiration, emotion! condition, needs, imerests, motivation, atlention, intelligence. aptimde. attitude, ofe. Let us discuss the important personal factors in the following sub-sections. 12.31 Sensation and Perception Apart from the general health ofthe students sensation and perception are the psychological factors which help in learning. Sensation is atthe core of perception, There are five sense ‘organs e, skin, ears tongue eyes and nose. These sense organsare the gatewaysof know ede and help in perception of varius stimuli in the environment. Any defect in any ofthe sense organs wiffafectleaming and hence acquisition of knowledge. For example, defects of vision such as myopia, hypemmetropia, astigmatism, etc, cause headaches, nausia and general disinclination to study. A blind person depends upon the sense of touch or skin for learning and thus acquires knowledge and skills, a8 he can not visualise the objects, The stinmli ave perceived and assimilated, and hence learmt through various sense oxgans. in this wav we ean say that sensation and perception is the bases of Knowledge and learning, 12.3.2 Fatigue and Boredom 1 is virtually boredom or lassitude rather than fatigne which bothers the students. The difference between the two is that fatigue is mental or physical tiredness which decreases in efficiency and competency to work, Boredom, on the other hand. is a Jack of desire or an aversion fo work. Such an aversion makes one feo! fatigued withow being actually fatigued. Studying seldom causes fatiguc, itis mainly boredom which, besides causing the impression of fatigue, decreases student efficiency in learning. 12.3.3. Age and Maturation Leaming is directly dependent upon age and maturation, No teaming can take place unless individual is matured enough to eam, Some children can lear better at carlier age while others take more time to leam the same content ‘Mental age increases with the chronological age and ceases at about the age of sisteen years, Increase in age means intellectual nsauration Which helps in solving difficult problems. The principle of maturation warns us against enforcing learning ot a child when he is not mare ‘enouglt to learn the specific skills, Teachers should explain this principle to parents wt are over ambitious or over enthusiastic in sending their children fo school at the very early age j Check Your Progress 1 [Notes a) Write your answers in the space given below. ) Compare your answers with those given atthe end of the unit 1) In what ways do the interests of an infos differ from an adolescent? ii) Whats the effect of forcing an immature child to read and write?ii) Distinguish between fatigue and boredom. 12.3.4 Emotional Conditions Desirable emotional conditions enftance the quality and speed of leaming, Happiness, joy and satisfaction are always favourable for any type of leaming. Adverse emotional conditions, on the other hand, hinder learning. Many studies have established the fact that emotional strain, stress. tensions, disturbances, etc, are extremely inimical to scholastic pursuits, 12.3.5 Needs [A need is the lack of something which, if provided. would facilitate child’s usual behaviour. The lack of something is experienced by the child. The child then tries to perform that activity ‘which culminates in the satisfaction of the need. Thus, the needs are associated with goals. Aniong human beings, the needs are relatively permanent tendencies which seck satisfaction ‘in achieving certain specific goals. When these goals are achieved, the particular need is Satisfied or met for the time being, but it recurs sooner or later and energises further activity The needs in liuman beings can be physiological such as need for oxygen, food, water, ec They may be social such as the need for affection, recognition, self-regard, etc. Social needs are however. quite different from physiological needs. Social needs might originate afler plisiological needs are satisfied, These needs have a complex structure and dominate the individual's behaviour ‘There is not equal urgency in the satisfaction of all needs. Some have to be satisfied before others can manifest themselves, In schools, children are not expected to do any intelectual thinking unless their physiological needs ate satisfied, Poor, starved children may concentrate less on attainment of knowledge than on food. Similarly, vesy cold or hot classrooms or over-crowded seats will not be conducive to good leaming. Likewise the need for safety, love and esteem, all act as powerful motives i che learning situations. Ifthe child is afraid of the teacher or feels unsafe while in ‘ie school on account of too much beating or some other form of punishment, no leaming can lake place, Similarly, his needs for warmth and affection are very tinulating and hence results ineffective learning, 12.3.6 Interests Let us consider Mr, Aditya, a photographer, who gets absorbed while doing any work connected with photography. It means that photography matters to him and he is interested in photography. Take another example, a farmer, an artist, and a botanist standing on a hill together and looking down over the landscape, they perceive different things differently. The farmer primarily perceives the crops and fertility of the land; the artist perceives the asthetic aspect of the landscape: and the botanist sees the vegetation, relationships among living ‘organisms, ete. They attend to different aspects of the situation depending on their interests ‘Thus, interest is something that concems us, as teachers, and can be a cause of an activity im which we arty like to participate Various types of interests of the students can be exploited to facilitate their learning. The interests during early infancy are mostly limited and short lived. As the child grows older his interests diversifv and stabilize. You, a school teacher, should have thorough knowledge of children’s interests. You can eliminate much drudgery. monotony and boredom from the school work if you make your instruction lively and stimulating and arouse student interest in ‘Once the students” interest is aroused in an activity you should expend moze effort on it, No Icaming can be achieved without proper expenditure of effort on it, Students can even overcome distraction. fatigue and boredom if they fect interested in your instruction and class sctivties.Ithas often been found that, in most cases. fatigue in reality is loss of interest inthe Factors tnluentng Learning