Information Processing Speed and Academic Success: A Qualitative Inquiry Into the Perception of Teachers and Parents by Students
Information Processing Speed and Academic Success: A Qualitative Inquiry Into the Perception of Teachers and Parents by Students

Summary/Abstract: In the article, the construct of mental speed is analysed as a biologically predetermined basic cognitive skill. It presents the results of research aimed to investigate the relationship between motor/mental speed and students' school performance from the point of view of teachers and parents. Applying procedures of the qualitative research paradigm, the central method of data collection was a semi-structured interview with 17 teachers and 10 parents of students with extreme (both high and low) values of mental and motor pace. The analysis of the interviews with the teachers provides information on stereotyping pupils with a higher mental and motor pace. In their teaching practice, teachers do not reflect enough on students' different mental and motor pace. There are almost no modifications of the curriculum, levels of task difficulty, differentiation of assignments e.g. according to cognitive demands of assignments. Also, a connection was revealed between both teachers and parents' self-perceived temperament types and their attitude towards children with a low mental pace.

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