Before entering fully into the meaning of the term educational diagnosis, we are going to know the etymological origin of the two words that give it shape:
-Diagnosis comes from the Greek, exactly from “diagnostikos”, which can be translated as “through knowledge”. This word is the result of the union of three different parts: the prefix “dia-”, which means “through”; the noun “gnosis”, which is synonymous with “knowledge”; and the suffix “-sis”, which is used to indicate the action.
-Educational, on the other hand, has its etymological origin in Latin. It is the result of the sum of several components of said language: the prefix “ex-”, which is synonymous with “out”; the verb “ducere”, which means “to guide”; and the suffix “-tivo”, which is used to indicate “active or passive relationship”.
The educational diagnosis consists of an evaluation of the knowledge, attitudes and aptitudes of students and teachers. See Abbreviation Finder for acronyms related to educational diagnosis.
Analyzing the concept
A diagnosis is a judgment or a rating that is made about a problem from the observation and analysis of its symptoms or signs. Educational, on the other hand, is that which is linked to education: teaching, instruction or indoctrination.
Educational diagnosis is the exercise that allows evaluating the skills, attitudes and knowledge of students and teachers who participate in a teaching and learning process. The objective is for educators to base their actions so that it can be determined if they coincide with the current pedagogical requirements.
How an educational diagnosis is developed
The development of an educational diagnosis has the purpose of analyzing the quality of education. It is a procedure that allows the description, classification and explanation of the actions of different actors within the framework of the school. With the educational diagnosis made, it is possible to make informed decisions related to the educational field.
As in other types of diagnosis, this process begins with the collection of information. Then said information must be analyzed to favor decision-making and the necessary interventions. Finally, the educational diagnosis itself can be evaluated according to the effects it produced. Specifically, we can establish that the phases of educational diagnosis are planning, exploration, analysis and solutions.
It is possible to classify the educational diagnosis in different ways.
In general, in an educational diagnosis at least five variables are considered: the educator (the teacher), the learner (the student), the program (what is taught), the methodology (how it is taught) and the framework (course, institution, community, etc.). Thus, the panorama offered by the diagnosis is broad and provides a global perspective.
Classification according to type
It is also important to know that there are several types of educational diagnoses, among which the following stand out:
-The individual, which, as its name suggests, focuses on a specific student.
-The global-general, which is the one carried out to learn in depth different questions and aspects related to a particular student.
-The group, which comes to be carried out when it comes to studying in depth the problems that affect a specific group of students.
-The analytical, which is undertaken when a student has a problem with their learning.
