Strategies of Memorization and Their Influence on the Learning Process among Individuals with Borderline Intellectual Functioning

Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF), or borderline intelligence, is defined as an intelligence quotient from 1.01 to 2.00 standard deviations below average, that is, a level between average intelligence and intellectual impairment. This level of mental functioning may still belong to a broadly understood norm. The purpose of the present study is to present the current state of knowledge on the subject of memory-related processes in persons with BIF, and in particular schoolchildren. Children with borderline intelligence are at risk for chronic educational failure, absence from school, repetition of grades, and dropout or expulsion from school. We have concen trated primarily on discussing the relationship between me mo ry-related processes and the characteristic thought processes of these individuals, including a preference for operating with concrete material, rigid and insufficiently critical thinking, and difficulties in organizing and generalizing knowledge, all of which cause serious deficits in academic achievement and effective learning. The article begins with an introduction to the problems of borderline intelligence, including the differential diagnosis, classification, and cognitive functioning of these persons. Then, based on the results of national and international research, we discuss the deficits of short-term and working memory that cause difficulties in processing and organizing, impair the effectiveness of long term memory, and thus cause specific learning strategies to be adopted. Pupils with BIF most often master their school knowledge by using rote memory, the functioning of which is discussed at the end of the article.