Características psicopedagógicas y estrategia educativa para escolares con alta capacidad de razonar y aprender en San Ramón, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Abstract

This study’s main objectifs were to identify children with high capacities for reasoning and learning from a constructivist point of view, to describe their psychopedagogical characteristics and to elaborate an educational strategy to attend their needs. Two tests, André Rey’s Six Minutes Written Vocabulary and Mathematical Reasoning were applied to fourth grade students of 5 schools belonging to different administrative categories. From a methodological perspective this study is a combination of cuantitative analysis (deciles) and qualitative design (analysis of interviews of children and teachers). Deciles were calculated for each of the groups and for the whole population. The results of the children in these tests were the basis for the identification of the students with higher abilities for reasoning, students situated from decile 8 to 10 were selected. These children were interviewed and asked to make a spontaneous drawing. A guide to observe them in class was given to the teachers, to obtain additional information about them. In order to help the teachers offer them the best learning situations, comprehensible, friendly documents were written on three themes: what is a student with high capacity for reasoning and learning, how to help these students obtain better comprehension in Mathematics and how to stimulate students for better reading and writing abilites. Important conclusions of this study are: 7,07% of the children were identified as with high learning and reasoning abilites. Among their psychopedagogical characteristics may be named the fact that they do not use reading as a recreative or academic tool and that they do not employ writing or drawing to express their interests in life. Another important result of this study is the fact that it is necessary to train teachers for better identification and academic attention to these children.