This work investigates the underlying causes of academic failure in primary school children and proposes systematic methods for remediation. Fred J. Schonell, a prominent educational psychologist, utilizes extensive clinical observation and diagnostic testing to analyze why students struggle with fundamental subjects like reading, writing, and arithmetic. The text argues that academic backwardness is rarely the result of a single factor, but rather a complex interaction of intellectual, environmental, and emotional variables that require targeted intervention.

Educators and historians of pedagogy recognize this text as a foundational document in the development of diagnostic-remedial education. Readers frequently note the clinical density of the prose, which reflects the rigorous, data-driven approach characteristic of mid-century educational psychology.