Learner Characteristics and Individual Differences

Start with learner differences

Begin with the mind map on learner characteristics. It brings together age, cognitive and personality factors, affective factors, and multiple intelligences. It also includes good language learner characteristics. Use its branches to identify the ideas you want to explore in more detail.

Then look at Issues in Individual Variations. This map covers diversity, group differences and individual differences, including culture, ethnicity, language and socioeconomic status. Compare its branches with the characteristics in the opening map.

Explore age and personality

The page lists several mind maps called Describing learners or Describing Learners. Their branches include age, aptitude, learner styles, motivation and individual variations. They offer different ways to organize material about learners, so check the branches of each map when choosing one to study.

For a closer look at personality, use Personality factors. Its branches include risk-taking, inhibition, anxiety, tolerance of ambiguity, and extroversion and introversion. The map on personality factors and the good language learner also connects personality with language learning.

Use maps alongside quiz questions

There are no quizzes listed on this topic page. You can still turn a map into questions: choose a branch, write a question about it, and use the map to check your response. A free account lets you make your own quiz and save your quiz scores. Take the quiz alongside the map, then return to the branches when you want to check an answer.

Place the topic in its unit

Learner Characteristics and Individual Differences is a section of Motivation, Engagement and Learner Differences in Education and pedagogy (incl. teaching methods, curriculum, educational psychology). The maps on this page connect learner differences with motivation and other characteristics. Choose a branch that interests you and use it as a starting point for studying the topic.