• (The) Korean Journal of Educational Psychology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.421-442
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• 2018

This study aimed to explore the constructs of the characteristics of at-risk learners with diverse educational needs in the blind spots of education, in order to understand them comprehensively and detect them early in schools. Participants were 156 elementary, middle, and high school teachers who filled out a semi-structured questionnaire consisting of open questions about their implicit knowledge of the characteristics of at-risk learners in the blind spots of education. Qualitative data were analyzed using a modified consensual qualitative research method. The main findings of this study are as follows. First, five domains and 16 categories were derived as the main constructs of the characteristics of learners in the blind spots of education. Second, the most listed of the five domains was the "domain of low learning and cognition," whereas the least listed domain was the "everyday life domain." Finally, deficiencies of interpersonal skills and interactive communications and categories related to family structure and functions frequently appeared among the 16 categories. Based on these results, implications and potentials for follow-up studies were further discussed.