This document discusses individual differences and the role of schools in meeting these differences. It defines individual differences as variations among people in characteristics like intelligence, personality, learning styles, interests and abilities. It describes different types of individual differences such as physical, mental, motor skills, achievement, emotional, interests and attitudes. Factors like heredity and environment affect these differences. The Quran recognizes differences between individuals. Schools should understand students' potential through testing, group students by ability, adjust curriculum and teaching methods to meet varying needs, and individualize instruction.

1. Individual Differences
By
Dr.Shazia Zamir

2. Outline
 Introduction
 Definitions of individual differences
 Types or variations of individual
differences
 The Qur’an’s Views on Individual-
Differences
 Factor effecting individual
differences
 Role of schools in meeting
individual differences

3. Definitions
 “Individual differences stand for the variations or deviations among
individuals in regard to a single characteristic or a number of
characteristics”. (Carter B. Good)
 According to heacademy.ac.uk, individual differences are "a learner's
personal characteristics that can affect how s/he learns."
 “The psychology of individual differences is concerned with the
systematic study of intelligence and abilities associated with personality
of learner, learning styles and needs and interests of learner”.

4. Types of individual differences
Difference in interests, Attitude, values, study habits,
psychomotor skills, and self-concept are the different types
of individual differences. Every person is different from
other on the basis of these points.

5. Physical Differences
 Individuals differ in height, weight, color of skin, color of eyes and
hair, size of hands and heads, arms, feet, mouth and nose, length of
waistline, structure and facial expression, mannerisms of speech and
walk, and other such native or acquired physical characteristics.

6. Mental Differences:
People differ in intellectual abilities and capacities like reasoning and
thinking, power of imagination, creative expression, concentration etc. On
the basis of these differences they are
usually classified as idiot, border line,
normal, very superior and genius.

7. Difference in Motor Ability
The individual's movements of the hand and feet and other physical
abilities are seem to be very individual, as they do not resemble
another's to any great extent.
In this manner, the same individual in different ages and different
individuals in the same age group manifest considerable differences
in “manual dexterity” (Someone's ability to perform a difficult
action with the hands skillfully and Quickly so that it looks easy).

8. Difference in Achievement
Differences exist in achievement and in knowledge even
among individuals who have almost the same amount of
intelligence and have been subjected to equal amount of
schooling and experience.

9. Emotional Differences
Individuals also differ in the manner they express their emotions.
Some are emotionally stable and mature, while others are
emotionally unstable and immature.

10. Differences in Interests and Aptitudes
As has been pointed out, the difference in gender leads to a
difference in interests. Similarly, factors such as family
background, level of development, differences of nationality
and race, etc., cause difference of interests. In a similar
way, people are found to have different aptitudes. Some
have mechanical aptitude, while the others have scholastic,
musical or artistic aptitudes.

11. Differences in Self-Concept
Self-concept reflects the images, considerations or
judgment about one’s abilities and limitations usually
held by an individual not only projecting himself before
others but also for estimating his self in his own eyes.

12. Learning Differences
In respect of learning, children manifest such differences as past
experience and learning, ability in the use of various kinds of
apparatus, rate of learning, interest in learning, etc. Some learn
more easily and are able to make use of their learning more
comfortably than others. For some, one method of learning or
memorization is more suitable, while for others, a different method
suits.

13. Social & Moral Developmental Differences
Some are found to be adjusted properly in the social situations and lead
a happy social life while others are socially handicapped, unsocial or
antisocial. Similarly, people are found to differ in respect of ethical and
moral sense.

14. Differences in Mental Age
Children of differing ages as well as children of the same age show
differences in their respective mental ages. Generally speaking, all
Students studying in the same class differ according to their mental
ages.

15. Difference in Attitude
Some are conservative and rigid while the others are
progressive, liberal and dynamic.

16. Special Abilities
Individual's differences in respect of special abilities, in
addition to the general intelligence, are also important
since special professions and specialized fields of
vocation all need certain specific abilities. Abilities of this
kind are concerned with mental, artistic, personality or
motor ability.

17. Differences of Background
In school the differences that the children exhibit is the outcome
of their different families and their communities. Besides attitude,
the child's emotional, social, aesthetic and moral development is
influenced by his family and the neighborhood.

18. Gender Differences
Girls have greater skill in memory while many
have greater motor ability.
Girls’ handwriting is superior while boys excel in
mathematical logic.
Girls show greater skill in making sensory
distinctions of taste, pain, smell, etc. while boys
show greater reaction and consciousness of size-
weight illusion.
Girls are superior to boys in languages,
similitude's, word building, compositions and use
of long sentences etc. On the other hand, boys
are superior in physics and chemistry.

19. Young girls take interest in stories of love, fairy
tales, stories of the school and home and day-
dreaming and show various levels in their play.
On the other hand, boys take interest in stories
of bravery, science, war and scouting, stories of
games and sports, scouts stories and games of
occupation and skill.

20. Nationality Differences
Many studies have led to the conclusion that
individuals of different nations differ in respect of
nature, physical traits, interest and personality, etc.
Such a difference is only natural since their cultural
and geographic environment is distinctive.

21. Personality Differences
Type A/B
MBTI Type
Big Five Factor
Extroversion/Introversion
----------------------------

22. The Qur'an’s Views on Individual-Differences
Say! Every one acts according to his
own disposition. But your Lord knows
best who it is that is best guided on
the way. (17:84)
This verse means that every single individual has a
unique disposition.

23. And we raise some of them
(mankind) above others in
ranks, so that some may
command work from others.
(43:32)
According to Ibn Kathir, ALLAH explains in this
verse that He created disparities among His
creatures (mankind) in terms of what He has
endowed them with-wealth, intellect,
understanding, and the like-which pertains to

24. Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) said at the day of
Hajj:
“O’ ye people! Allah says, O’ people We
created you from one male and one
female and made you into tribes and
nations, so as to be known to one
another. Verily in the sight of Allah,
the most honored amongst you is the
one who is most God-fearing. There is
no superiority for an Arab over a non-
Arab and for a non-Arab over an Arab
or for the white over the black or for
the black over the white except in

25. Factors Affecting Individual Differences
a) Heredity
What occurs naturally as a function of the genes.
b) Environment
What is learned and communicated in different cultures or
other social groups includes Family, Socio-economic
status, Culture, Previous knowledge, experience and
gender differences.

26. Role of Schools in Meeting
the Individual Differences:

27. Proper Knowledge of the Individual’s Potentialities
The first step in making provision for the individual differences
is to know about the abilities, capacities, interests, aptitudes
and other personality traits of individual pupils.
For this purpose, help from intelligence test, cumulative record
card, interest inventories, attitude scales, aptitude tests and
measures for assessing personality traits should be taken.

28. Ability Grouping
In the light of the results derived from various tests for
knowing individual differences in terms of individual
potentialities in various dimensions, the students in a class
or area of activity can be divided into homogenous groups.
Such division can prove beneficial in adjusting instruction
to varying individual differences.

29. Adjusting the Curriculum
The curriculum should be as flexible and differentiated as
possible. It should have the provision for a number of
diversified courses and co-curricular experiences. It should
provide adjustment suiting the local requirements and
potentialities of the students in different groups.

30. Adjusting the Method of Teaching
Every teacher should be somewhat free to formulate his own
plan and strategy and adopt instructional procedure which he
finds most suited to the particular types of pupils under him.
He should try to follow a different procedure or method of
instruction suiting the requirements of varying ability groups
of his pupils.

31. Adopting Methods for Individualizing
Instruction
Schools may also adopt special programs or method of teaching
like Demonstration, Group Discussion, and the project method
or use programmed learning material for enabling the students
to learn their own individual pace.

32.  The size of the class or section should be as small
as possible.
 The teacher should try to pay individual attention the
group under instruction.
 The teacher should keep in view the individual
differences of his students while engaging them in
drill or practice work in classroom or assigning home
task
 In case ability grouping is not possible and more
specifically under the prevalent system of class
teaching, special coaching and guidance program
for both the dull and gifted children is most helpful.
Other measures of Individualizing
Instructions