Summary
Students’ backgrounds and cultural experiences are essential in determining future learning strategies. Often many factors stem from childhood and school age, such as parental attitudes toward learning, environment, and socio-psychic type. The factors determine a student’s resilience and suggest their attitude toward external stimuli. The learning process aims to develop professional skills and develop tolerance and create a picture of the world.
The availability of higher education is unequal in America because not all parts are economically capable. Because of the high costs of the educational process, universities cannot always provide places for many graduates. However, in Latin America and the Caribbean, the opposite is true: enrollment continues to grow steadily. Such an environment can be described as accessible and comfortable to compose an individualized student approach (Study international staff, 2021). Unfortunately, the K-12 education system remains underdeveloped and malleable. As children get older, therapists find significant speech problems that prevent them from fully mastering their education.
One of the first abilities children acquire in kindergarten is phonological awareness. This ability indicates a child’s ability to recognize and use sounds in spoken language (Segal et al., 2021). Phonological awareness skills start simple and gradually become more complex as the child masters each skill (Belsky, 2021). It is important to remember that phonological awareness is not the same as phonics because written letters are related to vocal sounds; it is auditory only and does not include written words.
Ahmady et al. (2021) explained behavioral tactics for a bachelor student with a learning organization problem. Belsky’s (2021) report described the reasons for the child’s speech difficulties in kindergarten. Daniel & McLeod (2017) offer detailed tips for teaching and helping children with speech problems. An article by Risner et al. (2017) explains the implementation of an LSP approach in K-12 that will be helpful for children with communication difficulties. Rix’s (2015) headline suggests the impact of stress and anxiety on learning. An article by Segal et al. (2021) assesses the influence of parents on the development of speech problems in children. Study international staff (2018) explains why learning in Latin America is both comfortable and problematic.
This paper aims to establish a causal relationship between risk factors and external exposures. Two age groups of students were chosen for this purpose: a child in K-12 and an undergraduate student. Each of them has personal experiences that help or vice versa worsen their situation in the educational institution. Both individuals have communication difficulties and could potentially have severe learning problems because of this.
Profiles
Student: E. M. Grade: Kindergarten
E. M. is a gifted student who excels academically and takes responsibility for his assignments. The boy was born in Puerto Rico, and although his parents were born there, they are now U.S. citizens. Although bilingualism accompanies the boy, it has not affected his accent. E. does well academically, and his scores constantly fluctuate around 95% because he works hard. However, he has speech confusion: the boy speaks little and has difficulty meeting speech standards. It should not be forgotten that E. is an only child, and sometimes his parents put too much pressure on him. It makes E. very upset and even angry when he can’t do a task. E.’s parents are highly qualified professionals who want to ensure that their child is doing well on all assignments. They want to see their child succeed in the future, so they check the curriculum with sensitivity.
At first glance, E.’s case is a typical only-child problem: he gets a lot of attention and worries excessively about upcoming difficulties. His concentration on learning has led him to withdrawal and speech problems (Segal et al., 2021). A relevant problem for children like E. is that they struggle to share their experiences. At the same time, strict parents as role models are also not trustworthy. Educators should pay attention to the child’s behavior and try to interest him so that he wants to be part of society (Risner et al., 2017). It will allow the child to practice using speech more often and overcome future mistakes more easily. In addition, it will be helpful to focus on a few personal conversations: perhaps the child will feel comfortable asking for help with complex tasks (Daniel & McLeod, 2017). The best teaching tactic for this child is to identify strengths and gradually help with integration into society and overcoming stress.
Student: A. O. Higher Education: Bachelor’s degree
A. O. is a shy Latina who takes great joy in communications: writing news articles is interesting. Despite this, A. is introverted and has an average academic record. She is excellent at discussions and presentations, and A. works best in a team or small group setting. She is straightforward, so tests and projects are easy tasks, but research work causes difficulties. A. is doing two things at once: communications and news, and problems in her core subjects accompany her. Although she does not give up, she sometimes wants to leave school and get a job. She is the second person in her family to attend college and plans to pursue a master’s degree. It is probably the reason why A. has decided to pursue her studies and cope to the end. She lacks time and poor grades, which puts the girl in danger of failing: she rarely attends courses and does not promptly enter information into her profile.
A. is an example of a student who is afraid of hardship but even more fearful of the consequences. She has many reasons to keep studying: family, a desire to achieve high honors, and professional knowledge. However, A. has capital difficulties in time management: parallel courses force her into unpleasant situations. The girl needs advice from a talented educator to help her organize her studies. The best tactic in A.’s case is to identify her weaknesses and develop her communication skills. The girl is introverted, and it can be challenging to ask for help, but the teacher’s task is to deal with her stress and reduce her anxiety due to failures. A good piece of advice for A. would be to think critically about her attitude to learning and making choices (Ahmady et al., 2021). The teacher can help fill out a portfolio and advise tactics for solving research problems.
Findings and Discussion
Both of the student profiles studied commonly share stress, frustration, and high levels of anxiety. Both students experience social difficulties and are limited in developing communication skills because they are focused on academic achievement (Rix, 2017). This concentration is probably false because the focus on achieving ideals is detrimental to the psyche. It is especially noticeable during childhood: E. is gifted and passes his midterm with flying colors. However, his parents’ pressure has caused him to have speech problems. In this case, the boy cannot fully cope with the tests, because of which he is permanently anxious and inadvertently stimulates speech problems. In A.’s case, the consequences of stress and anxiety are her inability to manage her schedule. Since she is the second person with a college degree in her family, she chooses several subjects at once. Her efficiency is markedly reduced, and the girl needs help with organizing her education.
References
Ahmady, S., Khajeali, N., Kalantarion, M., Sharifi, F., & Yaseri, M. (2021). Relation between stress, time management, and academic achievement in preclinical medical education: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of education and health promotion, 10, 32. Web.
Belsky, G. (2021). What is speech therapy? Understood. Web.
Daniel, G. R., & McLeod, S. (2017). Children with speech sound disorders at school: challenges for children, parents and teachers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 42(2). Web.
Risner, M., Swarr, M., Bleess, C., & Graham, J. (2017). Developing and implementing LSP curricula at the K-12 level. In M. K. Long (Ed.), Language for specific purposes: Trends in curriculum development (pp. 37–54). Georgetown University Press.
Rix, J. (2015). How anxiety scrambles your brain and makes it hard to learn. The Guardian. Web.
Segal, A., Martin-Chang, S., & Patel, S. (2021). “You wrote the right letter for the right sound!” parental feedback in writing contexts. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 67(3), 329–359. Web.
Study international staff. (2018). The pros and cons of studying in Latin America. Study International. Web.