CASE STUDY

Gideon C. Tolentino
EED 2Y1-1
Ms. Joanna Sidayen

THE CASE OF PAULINE GRACE

My subject is a girl named Pauline Grace. She was enlisted during the 0plan
Palistahan for the incoming grade one in a public school in Taytay, Rizal. Although
the girl did not attend in any pre-school classes, the teachers allowed her to be
enrolled in grade one. The reason- she was able to pass the basic tests. Because she
did not attend pre-school, she was enlisted in the lowest section for grade one.
The first week of Pauline brought many surprises to the teachers. While the
adviser was writing 0n the board, she heard somebody reading the Desiderata
posted on the wall. Pauline was an instant sensational figure in the school. The
teachers found out that she could read faster than anyone and when her
comprehension ability was tested, they were all amazed. Not only that, they also
tested her mathematical ability which also made them think twice to put her on grade
one. But it was a protocol . She must be in grade one because they had no special
class for such students.
Pauline was moved from the lowest section to section one. That was the only
thing that the school could provide her. At first, all went smoothly. She excelled in all
subjects. One thing the adviser noticed, she was silent all the time except during
recitations. She would not play or even talk to her classmates during free time. She
rather read books than associate with others.

When a classmate would ask a

question, she answered them in a soft low toned

voice

then turned back. She

seemed uninterested with them. She easily got hurt when hearing criticisms from
others. Often times, she would cry. The adviser called for a meeting with her parents.
It was found out,Pauline was bored of the repetitious way of teaching and she
expected more.

ANALYSIS
SIGMUND FREUDS Psychoanalysis According to his theory, a persons
development is determined by often forgotten events in early childhood besides
inherited traits. In Paulines case, memories of happy times spent in his grandparents
house had influenced her learning. After a hearty meal prepared by grandma ,
grandpa would ask the children general informations. Whoever answered correctly
would be rewarded a big slice of cake or watermelon. That memory gave lasting
impact on Pauline. She should learn more to have the biggest slice of her favorite
chocolate cake. It was believed, Pauline inherited her maternal sides IQ. Genetics
played an important role.
BRONFENBRENNERS ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM THEORY The microsystem is the
most influential, has the closest relationship to the person, and is the one where direct
contact occurs. He believed that a persons development was affected by everything
in their surrounding environment. Let us look at Paulines microsystem. Pauline lived
in a house which stood alone on a grassy hill. Exploration of nature was possible. Our
subject excelled in Science . One aspect of her mesosystem would be the relationship
between the parents and the teachers. This has a positive impact because the root
cause of personality problem of our subject was known by both sides. The exosystem
would be that the mother influenced her daughters crave for reading by surrounding
her with the kinds of books she preferred.
JEAN PIAGETS THEORY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT focuses on how the
learners interact with their environment to develop complex reasoning and

knowledge. Children construct knowledge from the experiences. He believed that

children pass through series of 4 stages of development. Intelligence or ability to
understand develops gradually a child grows. At the age of two, Pauline had already
memorized several nursery rhymes. At three she could read and write . When she
turned five, she read Geography books which she had memorized capitals of different
countries. As years passed by, more knowledge were added to her. She evolved.
ERICKSONS THEORY OF PSYCHOSOCIAL identifies 8 stages through which a
healthy developing child should pass from infancy to the late adulthood. Each stage
should build upon the successful completion of earlier stages . The challenge of
stages not successfully completed may be expected to reappear as problems in the
future. With Pauline, the passing of stages was too abrupt. Her toddler stage was the
fastest. The psychosocial crisis 4-5 years old which is initiative versus guilt was well
defined. She developed initiative in pursuing further knowledge.She was not forced to
study.

CONCLUSION
Each and everyone of us is different from one another in intelligence, attitude
,and abilities. Heredity and environment influenced our learning capabilities. Some
are gifted, some are not. Much attentions were given to the not gifted. Unfortunately,
many of our gifted dont receive much reinforcements and encouragements.
Sometimes they are regarded as weird. They are misunderstood. The challenge is to
get out from the old method s of teaching, and devise modern and practical
techniques to deal with the like of our case study. These special kind of chidren could
be our assets in building a better country in the future.