Important Factors that Affect the Learning Process
Students’ difficulty in learning has various factors surrounding it. It is false for educators to label learners without understanding the personal factors that influence their education. Learning is a process that is influenced by multiple factors that all combine to produce a wholesome learning experience. Both educators and learners themselves need to understand these important factors to reshape their learning experiences positively.
Intellectual factor
Every learner has an assigned intellectual capacity that cannot be ignored. It is for this reason that we have varied performances in a class with nearly every other thing remaining constant. The mental level of a student will determine how well the student will perform in a subject or a range of subjects. Often, you’ll notice some students doing well in other subjects and failing in some. It is mainly because of their intellectual capabilities and incapacity in some subjects.
Learning factors
A student can have the mental capacity to succeed in a course but fail because of the learning factors. These are methods of teaching, or simply ‘how the course is presented’. If educators are using teaching methods that address the needs of the students at an individual level, the rate of success is likely to be higher than when students are taught using faulty teaching methods. Therefore, the teaching mannerisms are an important factor that determines the success of a learner in school.
Physical factors
There are many examples of physical factors that affect the learning process, including health, nutrition, physical development, and visual or any other defect. These directly affect how the learner perceives the learning process. A physically-challenged student may find it a bit harder to access learning compared to those who are not challenged. Therefore, educational institutions need to make provisions that will address the gaps to promote equity in colleges.
Emotional and social factors
Students are social beings. They are affected by social and emotional issues surrounding them. This impacts their learning processes. Take the example of a student who has just suffered a loss of a loved one. Such a student is less likely to perform optimally because of the emotional issues barring his/her access to education. This is why institutions need to include mandatory courses or subjects that handle the emotional well-being of learners while in school.
These are the main factors that affect the learning process. The same factors affect even short courses like AHA PALS Renewal Course. However, with determination and proper motivation, students can overcome learning barriers caused by these factors.
