Deficiency of prognostic competence in younger school students with persistent learning difficulties

The problem of anticipation occupies an important place in psychological research. Through anticipation, a school student is able to control the learning activity; the mental processes acquire qualitative changes associated with the function of consciousness. In terms of forecasting development, the younger school age has a special place. Social responsibility, widening the circle and complicating the content of meaningful relationships with people raises the requirements for anticipating the consequences of their own actions and actions of younger school students. The aim of the research is to study experimentally the prognostic competence of junior school students with persistent difficulties in learning and identifying the specifics of their forecasting in important spheres of life for a child. Materials and Methods: As a diagnostic tool, the author’s method “Ability to forecast in the situations of potential or real violation of social norms” was used. The study involved 80 primary 8-10 year old school students studying in the Republic of Tatarstan and the Republic of Mordovia. Results: It revealed deficiency of cognitive and speech-communicative spheres of prognostic competence of junior school students with persistent difficulties in learning; the lack of forecasting in the field of learning, which includes educational cooperation and educational communication of the child; the predominance of the pessimistic attitude and generalization of the forecast, passive position of school students in the forecast future situations. Discussion and conclusion: The data obtained in the study does not contradict the results of earlier studies, confirming that for schoolchildren with learning difficulties it is harder to predict the development of events in educational activities, and on the contrary, they were more successful in predicting relations with peers. Children with persistent learning difficulties find it more difficult to recognize the emotions of participants in the events, the forecast is more passive and pessimistic. The features of prognostic competence revealed in the study make it possible to form individual programs for the development of the prognostic abilities of schoolchildren with persistent learning difficulties.