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Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning pp 1529–1532Cite as

Individual Differences

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Synonyms

Learner characteristics; Personal attributes; Student traits

Definition

Individual differences can be defined as personal characteristics that distinguish learners from each other in the teaching and learning processes. Learners are unique individuals who bring a critical set of variables to each learning situation, including delicate traits as indicators of their potential and the history of achievement as signs of previous accomplishments and predictors of future performance.

Theoretical Background

There are a number of individual differences that affect performance and attitudes of learners during teaching and learning. The most common differences of learners are gender, age, intelligence, ability, interest, prior knowledge, learning style, motivation, locus of control, self-efficacy, and epistemological beliefs (Kuzgun and Deryakulu 2004).

Genderis not only about biological sex of learners. It is more of social perceptions, attributions, sensitivities, and treatments of...

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References

  • Buss, D. M., & Greiling, H. (1999). Adaptive individual differences. Journal of Personality, 67, 209–243.

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  • Kuzgun, Y., & Deryakulu, D. (Eds.). (2004). Egitimde bireysel farkliliklar [Individual differences in education]. Ankara: Nobel.

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  • Maltby, J., Day, L., & Macaskill, A. (2007). Personality, individual differences and intelligence. London: Pearson Education.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Communication Sciences, Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey

    Prof. Ali Simsek

Authors
  1. Prof. Ali Simsek
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ali Simsek .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Economics and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Education, University of Freiburg, 79085, Freiburg, Germany

    Prof. Dr. Norbert M. Seel

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Cite this entry

Simsek, A. (2012). Individual Differences. In: Seel, N.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_370

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