Psycho-pedagogical diagnosis: what it is, its objectives and characteristics

Let's see what the psycho-pedagogical diagnosis is and what it is used for when helping students.

Knowing what difficulties a student may have is essential to ensure that he or she succeeds in acquiring the knowledge required in the school curriculum. Otherwise, the child may fall behind, having serious problems in the future, mixed with frustration and loss of interest in studies.

The main objective of the psycho-pedagogical diagnosis is to detect difficulties in the student, in order to subsequently design guidelines to improve the student's performance.The main objective of the psycho-pedagogical diagnosis is to detect difficulties in the student, in order to subsequently design guidelines to improve their learning ability, involving both teachers and family members.

Next we will see more in depth this tool, what objectives it has, what functions it fulfills, what elements must be involved in its realization and what dimensions it evaluates.

What is the psycho-pedagogical diagnosis?

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

The psycho-pedagogical diagnosis constitutes a very important element in the work of educational professionals, such as educators, teachers and learning promoters. The process is aimed at assessing the level of development and learning of the childrenThe purpose is to evaluate their abilities, capacities and habits, as well as to know the quality of their affective processes. Knowing all this, the purpose is to let the educator know the most adequate way to promote the child's development.

Objectives of this tool

There are several objectives of the psycho-pedagogical diagnosis, although these can be summarized, fundamentally, in the following ones.

1. To check the student's progress

The intention is to check the student's progress towards the educational goals established in the school curriculum. These goals comprise, fundamentally, 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 may interfere in the development of the individual.

That is to say, the aim is to know the possibilities and limitations that the child has in the face of learning, both own and originating from the environment in which he/she is growing up.The aim is to know the possibilities and limitations that the child has for learning, both of his own and originating from the environment in which he is growing up, such as disorders such as unfavorable family economic situation.

3. To 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 academic curriculum. To achieve this, the student's progress must be taken into account, helping him or her to overcome difficulties and, in case they occur, to correct delays in the learning of school content.

Functions

Based on the objectives we have just seen about the psycho-pedagogical diagnosis, we can highlight the following functions of this tool.

Prevention and prediction

It allows us to know the possibilities and limitations of the individual, in order to foresee his or her predict their development and the course of learning in the future..

2. Problem identification and severity

As its name suggests, 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 student's needs have been detected, the psycho-pedagogical diagnosis is used to design an intervention plan. is used to design an intervention planThe guidelines are focused on the resolution and improvement of the individual's development and learning.

4. Correction

The aim is to reorganize the individual's current situation through the application of the intervention.The following are essential principles, together with any necessary recommendations.

Essential principles

When drawing up the psycho-pedagogical diagnosis, a series of principles should be followed to make it as comprehensive as possible. The intention of all this is to ensure that the application of a tool that can mark the child's future is properly managed.

Ignoring fundamental aspects of the child's life and assuming that his or her problems may be due to a learning disorder, such as adhd or dyslexia, while ignoring possible socio-cultural conditioning factors can do more harm than good in his or her development. This is why the educational psychologist must ensure that he/she 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 to say, he 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 is not fragmented. Personality traits are aspects that evolve progressively during childhood, forming a continuum.forming a continuum.

3. Dynamic character

This dynamic character is materialized when the diagnosis is carried out in a permanent way. This means that it serves not only to define how to help infants, but also to give feedback on how to help them. to give feedback on how effective the treatment is being applied to them..

4. Systemic character

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

Elements involved

Several elements are involved during the elaboration and application of this psycho-pedagogical tool:

1. The school

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

This system is closely interrelated with another: the family. These two systems must 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 it can also be a source of conflict depending on how the contents to be taught are structured and how they relate to the different hierarchical levels or to other systems and subsystems.

2. The teacher

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

At the same time, it also establishes direct contact with the student's parents and with other teachers involved in the student's education.

The teacher has the responsibility to enhance the development of his students through the teaching of content, habits and values that will lay the foundation for a pattern of behavior and knowledge appropriate for future responsible citizens.

3. The learner

The student plays several roles in the educational process, being in all of them a beneficiary.. That is to say, the teaching is directed towards him/her.

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

4. The family

The family is a system that has the psychosocial function of protecting its members.The institution is not neutral, especially its youngest members, and its function is to transmit and encourage the child to adapt to his or her culture.

This institution is not neutral. It lives in a socio-cultural context and has a family culture that influences its ideology, habits and values, which will undoubtedly influence the way it educates its children. This family educational method can come into direct conflict with how things are done at school, producing 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. He/she can be part of the school team itself, or of different educational administrations involved in the detection of problems in the classroom and in the family environment.

This figure relates and coordinates with other institutions, such as municipal services, rehabilitation and mental health centers, parents' associations, students' associations, etc...

The main function of the psychopedagogist is to contribute to the establishment of a context of collaboration between the different actors involved, in particular with teachersThe main role of the educational psychologist is to contribute to the establishment of a context of collaboration between the different actors involved, especially with teachers, defining how to intervene with the student.

Dimensions and areas of action

The psycho-pedagogical diagnosis takes into account several personal and environmental dimensions of the student.. It is necessary to take into account the educational and social context in which the student is immersed, that is, his family, school and community. These systems influence, as mentioned above, the student's performance, both in school and in his emotional, psychological and physical development.

At the personal level, that is, on the student, we have the biological, psychomotor, cognitive, cognitive, motivational, affective and social dimensions. As for the socio-environmental dimensions, we have the educational center, parents' group, family and community.

Biological

• Physical and maturational development
• Physical health
• Psychophysiological state
• Sensations and perceptions

2. Psychomotor skills

• Fine motor skills
• Coordination
• Laterality
• Body outline

3. Cognitive

• Intellectual development
• General intelligence
• Specific abilities
• Learning potential and styles
• Knowledge
• Creativity
• Language

4. Cognitive

• Beliefs
• Memory
• Imagination
• Problem solving

5. Motivational

• Expectations
• Attributions
• Interests
• Attitudes

6. Affectivity

• Personal history
• Emotional stability
• Personality
• Personal adaptation
• Self-concept

7. Social

• Social development and adaptation
• Social skills
• Interaction with others

8. Educational center

• Physical and architectural aspects
• Resources
• Organization and operation
• Educational project
• Support services
• Sociodemography
• Psychosocial aspects

9. Parent group

• Socio-structural aspects
• Processual aspects
• Socio-academic aspects

10. Family

• Family and community relations
• Socio-economic aspects
• Socio-academic aspects

11. Community

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

Bibliographical references:

• Bassedas, E., Huguet, T., Marrodán, M., Oliván, M., Planas, M., Rossell, M., et al (1991). Educational intervention and psycho-pedagogical diagnosis. Barcelona: Laia
• Cardona, M. C., Chiner, E. & Lattur, A. (2006 )Diagnóstico Psicopedagógico. San Vicente: Club Universitario.
• García Ugalde, J. M., & Peña Velázquez Aidé S. (2005). Psychopedagogical diagnosis in special education: A case study. [Bachelor's thesis]. Hidalgo: Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Institute of Health Sciences, Psychology.