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1. BACKWARD CHILD
Slow Learner

3.  A backward child as the name indicates is one who falls far behind other
children of his age in matters of study.
 In schools, such children remain in the same class for many years and fail to
progress upward.
 This backwardness may be due to physical or mental weakness.
 Backward children are also called as ‘Educationally Retarded Children’ or
‘Slow Learners’.
 These children cannot keep pace with other children of same age group of
his class.
 It can be said that the term backward is reserved for those children who are
unable to cope with the work normally expected of their age group.
 Educationally, he is not able to attain what he should and falls below his
natural abilities.

4. Characteristics Of Backward
Children :
 1. Low intelligence
 2. Mental or different complexes
 3. Dependent behaviour
 4. Slow learner
 5. Unplanned activities
 6. Slow growth and development
 7. Felling of pessimism
 8. Anti social tendencies
 9. Lack of decision making abilities
 10. Continuous failure

5. Meaning Of Backward Children
 Any child, who does not progress at the rate, to which his
abilities permit him, can be termed as backward child.
 They show inability to progress normally in the school work.
 They are weak in their studies and show low academic
achievement.
 The backward children cannot work according to his class or he is
lower than his class.
 So, the children who do not keep pace with the class are called
backward children.
 According to Barton Hall, “Backwardness in general applies to
cases where their educational achievement falls below the level
of their natural abilities.”

6. Definition of Backward Children
 “ Backward children 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.” -- Burt
 “Backward pupil is one, who compared with other pupils of his
chronological age, shows marked educational deficiency.”
-- Schonell
 “Backwardness, in general, is applied to cases where other
educational achievement falls below the level of their natural
abilities.” -- Burton Hall
 “ In the Indian situations, a backward child is one, who being
more than one year older than the average of his class.”
-- T. K. A. Menon

7.  Backward children can be classified according to their rate of
learning. In the classroom they deviate from their classmates in
school achievement.
Backward children have also been defined on the basis of
Educational Quotient or academic scores.
According to Burt, backward child is one whose educational quotient
is below 85. Educational Quotient means, whether the knowledge
possessed by the pupil is according to his age group or not. The
formula for Education Quotient is :
E.Q. = E.A. / C.A. x 100
where, E.Q. = Educational Quotient
E.A. = Educational Age
C.A. = Chronological Age

8. Example :
 The chronological age of a child is 12 years. His mental age in
Science is equal to 10 years, and his age in studies is equal to the
child of 8 years age. In Science the average age ( or E.A.) of the
child will be 9 years,
E.A = (10+8 ) / 2 = 9
Hence , E.Q = E.A / C.A x 100
E.Q = 9/12 x 100
= 75

9.  Thus the Educational Quotient of that child is 75. He
will come under the category of backward children.

10. Types of Backwardness :
 Generally two types of backwardness can be seen :
1. General Backwardness : Backwardness may be general
backwardness, in which an individual is backward in the entire field
or in all the subjects.
2. Specific Backwardness : In specific backwardness, an
individual falls behind in one or two specific subjects only, but he is
not backward in all the subjects.

11. Identification of Backward Children :
 For the proper treatment and diagnosis of these children, their
timely identification is very much essential. Backwardness may be
identified by employing formal and informal methods. The methods
which are used for identification are as follows :
1. Observation : Teacher and parents use this method quite often
to observe their children in the class, home and outside the class and
home.
2. Standardized achievement tests : These tests are used to
determine the level of achievement. These test measure the
knowledge acquired by child in any special subject. It can be
assessed, whether the child is backward equally in all subjects or in
any one subjects.

12. 3. Intelligence Tests : The main reason for backwardness is the
low I.Q of the child. In this regard, the mental ability of the child is to
be measured by standardized general mental ability tests available for
their age group. Then I.Q. can be calculated by using the following
formula :
I. Q = M.A. / C.A. X 100
In group tests of intelligence, verbal and non-verbal tests are used to
measure the M.A. of students. By comparing M.A with C.A the
backwardness can be identified.
4. Personality Inventories : Number of personality inventories
are there to identify the backwardness of the children.

13. 5. Diagnostic Test : Diagnostic Tests have been developed to
know the typical weakness in a particular subject of the children.
The main objective of this test is to find out the weaknesses of child
in a specific subject unit, deficiencies and difficulties.
6. Case History and Case Study : Case history or Case
studies are prepared in locating backwardness among school
children.

14. Causes of Backwardness :
 Causes of backwardness
Individual Causes Environmental Causes
Physical Mental Emotional Family School Social
causes causes causes causes causes causes

15. A. Individual Causes :
1. Physical Causes : Majority of the backward children suffer from physical
retardation. Due to physical defects, the children do not pay attention to
their studies. Backward children are less competent than normal children in
learning due to their abnormal physical development. According to Schonell
75% of the backwardness are due to various physical defects stated as
follows :
a. Defective hearing b. Defective speech
c. Defective eyesight d. Brain injury
e. Poor health f. Chronic diseases
g. Defective working of glands h. Long sickness
i. Left – handedness j. Neutral shock

16. 2. Mental Causes : Sometimes, the children with low
intelligence lag behind in comparison to normal children. They are
found to have I.Q less than 70. Burt found that more than 95% of
backward children were below average in their native intelligence.
3. Emotional Causes : Faulty emotional development or
emotionally instability is an individual cause of backwardness, in
which he suffers from such complexes emotions which create
obstacles in his progress according to his abilities, for example
superiority and inferiority complexes, negative attitude towards
teachers, nervousness, anxiety, aggressiveness, restlessness and
other emotional disturbances. According to Burt, 1/3 cases of
backwardness are due to emotional or temperamental causes.

17. (b) Environmental Causes :
1. Family causes : Many factors are within the home which
affects the academic achievement of the children. Backwardness
can be due to home factors like :
* Poor economic condition or poverty
* Family disputes or quarrel in family
* Illiteracy of parents
* Divorce or separation between father and mother
* Death of parents
* Immorality of parents
* Presence of step father or step mother
* Large family size
* Unhealthy sibling competitions
* Over protection or under protection of the child

18. 2. School Causes : Improper atmosphere in the school contributes
a lot for educational backwardness of the child. Some of the causes of
educational backwardness are as follows :
* Defective, wrong, ineffective way of teaching
* Lack of required facilities and instruments
* Defective curriculum
* Faulty examination system
* Poor administration and indiscipline
* Inefficient teachers
* Defective time table
* Harsh attitude of teachers
* Lack of interest in the subject
* Over crowded classroom
* Late admission of child
* Long absence from school
* Transfer to various school In one year
* Change of teachers

19. 3. Social Causes : There are numerous other factors of society
which influences both directly or indirectly, the child’s academic
achievement.
* Bad company of the child
* Family’s customs, culture and profession
* Neighbourhood environment of child, their culture and
educational background.
* T.V , Radio, Cinema, Club, Religious institutions, Magazines
etc.

20. Measures to prevent Backwardness :
The problem of backwardness is the major problem for
educationist, teachers, parents, social workers and medical personals
in school. To remove this backwardness, group efforts are required.
The following treatment for cure of physical defects :
1. To diagnose and necessary treatment for cure of physical defects.
2. To remove the physical weaknesses. There should be
arrangement of balance diet and physical exercises.
3. To find out the intelligence level of the child through
Intelligence Tests and to apply suitable remedies for it.

21. 4. Plans should be made to provide free education and scholarships
to the children of poor families.
5. Bad environmental factors are to be removed by making the
environment healthy for the children.
6. Efforts should be made to literate the parents of the children.
7. Parents should have favorable attitude towards their children.
8. Establishment of special schools and classes for the backward
children.
9. Curriculum should be constructed according to the capacities of
the children.
10. Provision of educational guidance should be made for the
children.

22. Education for backward children :
 Some of the suggestions for education to backward children are as
follows :
1. Find out causes for backwardness : Causes of
backwardness and assessment of specific abilities can be done by using
achievement tests, intelligence test, case study and case history.
2. Individual attention : Backward children exhibit inferiority
complexes and hesitate to go to school, and in school they are not
capable to understand the group instruction given by the teacher.
Hence a special attention is needed for them to remove these
problems.

23. 3. Special classes : These children cannot be taught with a large
number of children in a class. Hence, a teacher has to use or improvise
special learning materials for them by various methods, keeping in view
their progress reports, intellectual status etc.
4. Specified curriculum : It is useful to device the curriculum
according to their personal needs and interests and efficiencies, as
backward children fail to meet the general curriculum. The curriculum
should be useful and full of concrete and vocational subjects. Manual
skills like – wood work, handicrafts and book binding should be include
in their curriculum.

24. 5. Special teaching methods : They should be taught by easier
methods dividing the subjects matter into small units with the help of
concrete and direct experiences. Audio- visual method, play method,
project method are some of the new techniques and methods useful in
diagnostic learning.
6. Co- curricular activities : Co- curricular activities are very
much essential in addition to the curriculum to control the
backwardness of the children, so that the backward children may
develop other capabilities. Activities like games ,sport, drama, role
play etc. may be encouraged, which will increase their interest in
studies.

25. 7. Examination systems : While taking educational achievement
tests of backward children, the question paper should be more
objective and, language should be easy and only those questions
should be asked with which they are familiar. Their educational and
personal case history, cumulative records, progress report, group
articles should also consider a basis for evaluation besides for marks
obtained.
8. Provision of guidance service : In schools there should be
provision of educational, vocational, personal or psychological
guidance programmes. These services will help the children to solve
their problems and they may join with the normal children.

26. 9. Affectionate attitude : Parents and teachers should provide
affection and sympathy towards children for their independent overall
development.
12. Controlling negative environmental factors : Unhealthy
social environment in the neighbourhood, illiterate peers, study habits,
general habits, education of parents etc. are some common unhealthy
environmental factors. The control of such various factors existing in
the external environment is essential for the treatment of
backwardness.

27. 11. Taking Help From educational psychologist : Experienced
educational psychologist can be very useful in the education of
backward children. They can mobilize, control, and re-design those
causes related to the parents and child’s personality, which are
responsible for the backwardness of the child.
12. Regular attendance : Backward children generally become
truants, because of failure in the school which lacks interest in them.
Such type of irregular attendance should be checked.

28. Some other principles to be kept in mind while teaching backward
children are :
• They should be taught in simple, small steps, so that they can
achieve mastery in their learning at their own pace.
• They should receive immediate reinforcement for their support.
• They should receive a variety of stimulation.
• They should be provided with immediate knowledge of results.
• They should be given the opportunities to practice knowledge and
skills.

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