Psychological and Sociological Aspects

Psychological and Sociological Aspects

In the beginning of my freshman semester in college I decided to major in secondary education with a minor in psychology. I made the decision just recently to change my major to sociology for many reasons that relate to research during this course. I am currently enrolled in an educational psychology course as well as an introduction to sociology class. As the semester has progressed, I have gotten deeper into my research for this project. One of the main things that I have taken note of is that much of what I am learning in this course through research is being enhanced by studies we discuss in sociology. The topic “Students at Risk” is a very broad topic. In psychology class we study the behavioral and mental aspects of dealing with students who have difficulty performing in a structured classroom setting. However, in my sociology class, we touch more upon the environmental and societal effects that are common influences amongst students at risk. I have found that sociological theories are the basis for labeling those students who have been set up for failure. The study of sociology as it relates to this topic is that environmental and societal negativities can be credited for student failure. With psychology, you are attempting to find reasons within one-self that have caused a delay in ones academic success. It becomes a main issue when dealing with these types of situations to find someone or something to blame for the student’s level of progression. Through research I have found that instead of directing our attention to the cause of the problem, we must exert more energy to finding a solution.

“Learning Disabled?” or “Slow Learner?”

When first approaching this subject I began to explore different behavioral disorders and learning disabilities that would cause a student to be considered “at risk”.

However, before beginning to explore these sub topics in detail I thought it would be helpful to find some information on determining the difference between someone who is just a slow learner, verses someone who has trouble learning because of disability. I came across an article by author Margaret Shepherd that is titled “Learning Disabled or Slow Learner”? This article details the differences between the learning disabled child and the slow learner, and it is also a plea for caution in the use of the diagnostic term learning disabilities.