WBCHSE HS Education key terms

The unfolding of physical and mental capacities that follows a biological timetable rather than practice or teaching, setting limits on when a skill such as walking or reading can first appear.

A measurable increase in body size or mass, such as height or weight, that can be expressed in numbers and continues until physical maturity is reached.

Progressive, orderly change in physical, cognitive, emotional and social functioning across the lifespan, usually described as qualitative rather than merely quantitative.

A period within a recognised sequence of change, such as infancy, childhood or adolescence, during which characteristic abilities and needs appear and later give way to the next period.

The transitional period between childhood and adulthood marked by puberty, rapid physical change, identity exploration, stronger peer influence and growing demand for independence from adults.

The point at which a learner's maturation and prior experience allow a new skill to be acquired without excessive strain, so that instruction timed earlier wastes effort.

Variation among learners of the same age in ability, pace, interest, temperament and background, which requires differentiated teaching instead of a single uniform method.

The reception of stimulation by a sense organ and its transmission to the brain, forming the raw material from which organised perception is built.

The interpretation and organisation of sensory information into meaningful wholes, influenced by past experience, expectation, context and the observer's needs.

The selective focusing of mental activity on one stimulus or task while other available stimuli are relatively ignored, varying in span, duration and degree of concentration.

A relatively permanent change in behaviour, knowledge or capacity resulting from experience or practice, excluding temporary states such as fatigue, illness or drug effects.

A learning process in which a neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response after being repeatedly paired with a stimulus that already produces that response.

Learning in which the likelihood of a voluntary behaviour changes because of the consequences that follow it, such as reward, punishment or removal of an unpleasant state.

Any consequence that strengthens or increases the frequency of the behaviour it follows, whether by adding a pleasant stimulus or removing an unpleasant one.

A consequence that weakens or suppresses the behaviour it follows, either by adding an unpleasant stimulus or by withdrawing something the learner values.

Sudden restructuring of a problem situation so that the solution is grasped as a whole, typically after a period of apparently unproductive trial and hesitation.

Learning in which varied responses are attempted and unsuccessful ones gradually dropped until the response that works is retained and repeated.

The influence of earlier learning on the acquisition or performance of a later task, which may help performance, hinder it, or leave it unchanged.

The internal state or need that arouses, directs and sustains behaviour toward a goal, arising from physiological deficits, social motives or personal aspirations.

Engagement in an activity because the activity itself is interesting or satisfying, without reliance on external reward, praise or pressure.

Engagement in an activity to obtain a separable outcome such as marks, prizes, approval or avoidance of punishment, rather than for the activity itself.

The tendency to strive for success, to meet a self-chosen standard of excellence and to persist at challenging tasks in the face of difficulty.

The general capacity to understand, reason, solve problems and adapt effectively to new situations, assessed through tests and understood differently by different theorists.

A numerical index of intelligence obtained by relating mental age to chronological age, conventionally expressed on a scale with a mean of 100.

The level of mental performance a child demonstrates on an age-graded test, expressed as the age group whose typical performance it matches.

A learner's potential to acquire a particular skill or body of knowledge with training, as distinct from what has already been achieved.

What a learner has actually attained in a subject or skill after instruction, usually measured by examinations and reported as marks or grades.

The relatively stable and distinctive pattern of thoughts, feelings and behaviour that characterises an individual and distinguishes that person from others.

A relatively enduring disposition to behave in a consistent way across situations, used to describe personality in terms of dimensions on which people differ.

A period of uncertainty, common in adolescence, in which a young person explores possible roles and commitments while forming a stable sense of self.

Any institution or organised body that deliberately or incidentally educates the young, including the family, school, community, mass media and religious or state bodies.

The reciprocal relationship in which education transmits, preserves and also challenges the culture, values and structures of the society that maintains it.

The process by which an individual acquires the norms, values, language and skills needed to participate as a member of a particular society.

A body appointed by a government to review the state of education and recommend reforms; in India the Kothari Commission of 1964-66 shaped national policy for decades.

A formal statement of a country's educational goals and strategies, such as India's policy documents of 1968, 1986 and 2020, which guide school structure and curriculum.

The goal of making free and compulsory schooling available to every child, pursued in India through provisions such as the Right to Education Act.

The systematic application of tools, media and procedures to improve teaching and learning, ranging from low-cost aids to programmed instruction and digital resources.

A self-instructional arrangement in which content is broken into small steps, each followed by a response and immediate feedback before the next step is presented.

Systematic help given to a learner in making educational, vocational and personal choices, based on information about the individual and about available opportunities.

A confidential helping relationship in which a trained person assists an individual to understand a problem and to decide on a course of action.

The systematic process of gathering evidence about learner progress and judging it against stated objectives, using tests, observation and other tools.

Continuous appraisal of a learner's work by the school itself, covering class tests, projects, practical work and participation, and contributing to the final result.