This four-part guide is designed to help community college instructors understand and respond to individual differences in their students. First, the preface lays out a framework for an in-depth examination of individual learning differences by posing the following questions: (1) Is learning a single function or a composite of different types of abilities? (2) What is the relationship between ability to learn and intelligence? (3) Are individual differences in learning related to differences in students' personality characteristics? and (4) Is there a relationship between the learning assessed in the experimental-laboratory setting and the learning that occurs in the classroom setting? Following section I, which briefly discusses nature-nurture conditions as they relate to individual differences, section II covers cognitive factors, examining intelligence quotient (IQ), types of IQ tests, mental processes, and additional factors influencing IQ. In section III, cognitive style is explored, including types of cognitive style tests; IQ, cognitive style, and instruction; and the relationship between cognitive style and student behavior. Finally, section IV looks at cultural and physical factors that influence individual differences, including a discussion of racial and ethnic differences, physical differences, and physical and social differences in the classroom. (JMC)