ABSTRACT
In constructing a theoretical framework for remedial education, it is usual to conceive of the child and his needs as the focus and the school and its social context as peripheral. From the beginning, children seem to be capable of reflecting on their learning abilities. What they learn about their successes and failures has implications for their motivation, self-esteem and sense of identity. Learning to read is a highly visible social event with far reaching implications. Children also learn who can read as well as they can, who better and who worse. The realization of the implications of a late start in reading, or other manifestations of failure, affect the learning strategies of children. The discussion with the top class took place at a relatively abstract level and when the children adopted the word 'regression', the teacher assumed they knew what it meant.
