Psychopedagogical diagnosis: what it is, objectives and characteristics

Knowing what difficulties a student may present is essential to ensure that she manages to acquire the knowledge requested in the school curriculum. Otherwise, the child may be left behind, having serious problems in the future, mixed with frustration and loss of interest in studies.

The main objective of the psychopedagogical diagnosis is to detect difficulties in the student, to later design guidelines to improve her learning capacity involving both teachers and family members.

Below we will take a closer look at this tool, what its objectives are, what functions it fulfills, what elements must be involved in its implementation and what dimensions it evaluates.

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What is the psychopedagogical diagnosis?

The psychopedagogical diagnosis is the process through which it is describe, classify, predict and, if necessary, explain student behavior in the school context, relating it to other systems involved in their education, such as the family and the community. This process includes the set of measurement and evaluation activities of the person or institution in order to provide guidance about the student in question.

The psychopedagogical diagnosis constitutes a very important element in the work of educational professionals, such as educators, teachers and learning promoters. The process goes to assess the level of development and learning of children, evaluating her abilities, capacities and habits, in addition to knowing the quality of her affective processes. Knowing all this, the purpose is to let the educator know the most appropriate way to promote the development of the child.

Objectives of this tool

There are several objectives of the psychopedagogical diagnosis, although these can be summarized, fundamentally, in the following.

1. Check student progress

It is intended to check the progress of the student towards the educational goals established in the school curriculum. These goals basically comprise three areas: cognitive, affective and psychomotor..

2. Identify factors that may interfere with their education

The objective is to identify which factors in the teaching-learning context can interfere in the development of the individual.

That is to say, It is intended to know the possibilities and limitations that the child has in terms of learning, both his own and originating from the environment in which he is growing up, such as disorders such as an unfavorable family economic situation.

3. Adapt the teaching-learning of the student

Finally, the objective is to adapt the teaching-learning situation, that is, to adapt the educational strategies in such a way that the individual acquires the knowledge demanded in the curriculum academic. To achieve this, it should be taken into account how the student is progressing, helping him to overcome difficulties and, if they occur, correct delays in learning school content.

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functions

Based on the objectives that we have just seen about the psychopedagogical diagnosis, we can highlight the following functions of this tool.

1. Prevention and prediction

It allows to know the possibilities and limitations of the individual, in order to anticipate their development and the course of learning in the future.

2. Problem identification and severity

As its name indicates, this tool is diagnostic and, therefore, has the function of finding out the causes, both personal and environmental, that hinder the student's development.

3. Orientation

Once the needs of the student have been detected, the psychopedagogical diagnosis used to design an intervention plan, whose guidelines are focused on the resolution and improvement of the development and learning of the individual.

4. Correction

The intention is to reorganize the current situation of the individual through the application of the intervention, along with any recommendations that may be necessary.

essential principles

When preparing the psychopedagogical diagnosis, a series of principles must be followed to make it as exhaustive as possible. The intention of all this is to ensure that the application of a tool that can mark the future of the child is duly well managed.

Ignoring fundamental aspects of the child's life and assuming that her problems may be due to a learning disorder, such as ADHD or dyslexia, ignoring possible sociocultural conditions can do more harm than good in their development. That is why the educational psychologist must ensure that he takes into account the following four principles in the realization and application of this tool.

1. territorial character

The subject develops in a place in the world, that is, it is in contact with phenomena located in a space, in a territory. Among these phenomena we can find customs, traditions, the language and jargon used, socioeconomic opportunities...

2. Age-generic character

Personality development does not occur in a fragmented way. Personality traits are aspects that progressively evolve during childhood., forming a continuum.

3. dynamic character

This dynamic character materializes when the diagnosis is carried out permanently. This means that it not only serves to define how to help infants, but also allows give feedback about how effective the treatment being applied to them is.

4. systemic character

It is said that this tool has a systemic character insofar as it takes an integrated vision of the infant's development. Thus, the functions of the infant should not be studied separately, or considered as independent aspects. There are correlations between psychic and somatic development, with which it is expected that mental aspects go hand in hand with their way of relating to the world and their degree of psychomotor development.

Elements involved

There are several elements that are involved during the development and application of this psycho-pedagogical tool:

1. The school

The school is a social institution that can be thought of as an open system that shares functions with other systems that integrate the entire social environment experienced by the student.

This system is closely interrelated with another: the family. These two systems should act as complementary systems, since it is the interaction between them that will determine the success or failure of the child's learning process.

The school can become an institution that enhances the child's learning or, also, can be a source of conflicts depending on how the contents to be given are structured and related to the different hierarchical levels or other systems and subsystems.

2. The teacher

The teacher is a fundamental figure in the educational process.. He is a professional who belongs to and acts in different subsystems at the same time, since he is immersed in the same community in which the student is part, sharing their classroom, being in the same school, their same city or nearby and getting involved in community phenomena several.

In turn, he also establishes direct contact with the student's parents and with other teachers involved in his education.

The teacher has the responsibility of promoting the development of their students through the teaching of content, Habits and values ​​that will lay the foundations for a pattern of conduct and appropriate knowledge for future citizens responsible.

3. Student

The student plays various roles in the educational process, being a beneficiary in all of them.. That is, the teaching is directed towards him.

However, this does not mean that he simply acts as a student, since in class he is also a classmate and friend to other students, while when he arrives at home, where the educational process also takes place, is he a son, grandson, nephew, younger/older brother... In short, it is impossible to separate the student from others systems.

4. The family

The family is a system that has the psychosocial function of protecting its members., especially their little ones, in addition to having the function of transmitting and encouraging the boy or girl to adapt to their culture.

This institution is not neutral. They live in a sociocultural context and have a family culture that influences their ideology, habits and values, which will undoubtedly influence the way they educate their children. This familiar educational method can come into direct conflict with how things are done at school, causing tensions between parents and teachers and causing the student to be harmed.

5. The educational psychologist

The educational psychologist is the link between these systems. She can be part of the school's own team, or of different educational administrations involved in detecting problems in the classroom and in the family environment.

This figure is related and coordinated with other institutions, such as municipal services, rehabilitation and mental health centers, parent associations, student associations...

The main function of the educational psychologist is contribute to the establishment of a context of collaboration between the different stakeholders, especially with teachers, defining the way in which the student should be intervened.

Dimensions and areas of action

The psychopedagogical diagnosis takes into account various personal and environmental dimensions of the learner. It is necessary to take into account the educational and social context in which the student is immersed, that is, his family, his school and the community. These systems influence, as we have previously commented, the performance of the student, both in school and in their emotional, psychological and physical development.

On a personal level, that is, on the student, we have the biological, psychomotor, cognitive, cognitive, motivational, affective and social dimensions. Regarding the socio-environmental dimensions, we have the educational center, group of parents, family and community.

1. Biological

• Physical and maturational development
• Physical Health
• psychophysiological state
• Sensations and perceptions

2. psychomotricity

• Fine motor
• Coordination
• laterality
• body schema

3. Cognitive

• Intellectual development
• general intelligence
• specific capabilities
• Potential and learning styles
• Knowledge
• Creativity
• Language

4. Cognitive

• beliefs
• Memory
• Imagination
• Problem resolution

5. Motivational

• Expectations
• attributions
• Interests
• attitudes

6. Affectivity

• Personal history
• Emotional stability
• Personality
• personal adaptation
• Selfconcept

7. Social

• Development and social adaptation
• Social skills
• Interaction with others

8. School

• Physical and architectural aspects
• Resources
• Organization and operation
• Educational project
• Supporting services
• sociodemographics
• Psychosocial aspects

9. parent group

• Sociostructural aspects
• Processual aspects
• Socio-academic aspects

10. Family

• Relations with family and community
• Socioeconomic aspects
• Socio-academic aspects

11. Community

• Socio-structural and demographic aspects.
• Processual aspects (values, attitudes, interests...)
• Socio-academic aspects

Bibliographic references:

• Bassedas, E., Huguet, T., Marrodán, M., Oliván, M., Planas, M., Rossell, M., and others (1991). Educational intervention and psychopedagogical diagnosis. Barcelona: Laia
• Cardona, M. C., Chiner, E. & Lattur, A. (2006) Psychopedagogical Diagnosis. San Vicente: University Club.
• Garcia Ugalde, J. M., & Peña Velázquez Aidé S. (2005). The psychopedagogical diagnosis in special education: a case study. [Bachelor Thesis]. Hidalgo: Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo, Institute of Health Sciences, Psychology.