Both programs stressed the importance of addressing affective education, as well as the necessity of creating student-centered classroom environments. The psychology of underachievement. This phenomenon of deliberate underachievement has been found to be particularly evident among gifted adolescent females, as a response to perceived sex-role expectations, and among African American gifted students involved in the process of adolescent impression management, as an attempt to control the perceptions other The problem inherent in defining and identifying underachieving gifted students are given special attention. What is prized in one culture may not be valued in another, and it is difficult to impose one belief system on a culture that may define achievement and underachievement differently. Planning and implementing programs for the gifted. If low self-concept causes underachievement, interventions that raise self-concept should enhance student achievement. Underachievement in Gifted Students - Davidson Academy For example, statistical regression to the mean further complicates the comparison of two aptitude or achievement measurements. The psychological characteristic ascribed to gifted underachievers vary and sometimes contradict each other. Dai, D. Y, Moon, S. M., & Feldhusen, J. F. (1998). Gifted Although clinicians report success with counseling interventions, research on therapeutic approaches has documented limited success in reversing students underachievement patterns (Baymur & Patterson, 1965; Butler-Por, 1993; Jeon, 1990). Three of these paradigms are compared and contrasted in Table 6. Watertown, WI: Apple. Although passive-aggressive underachievement may be more likely to indicate psychological disturbance than underachievement attributable to motivational, educational, and cognitive components, this type of underachievement seems fairly responsive to psychotherapy (Weiner, 1992). Underachieving students frequently report peer influence as the strongest force impeding their achievement (Clasen & Clasen, 1995). Gifted Child Quarterly, 31, 180-185. Columbus, OH: Merrill. We propose an imperfect, yet workable operational definition for defining and identifying underachievers in general, as well as gifted underachievers. Despite this interest, the underachievement of gifted students remains an enigma. Underachieving gifted males: Are we missing the boat? High-ability students can have learning problems (Barton & Starnes, 1988; Baum, Owen, & Dixon, 1991; Bireley, 1995) or attention deficits (Baum, Olenchak, & Owen, 1998) of various types that affect or cause underachievement. Conceivably, the combination of these factors may account for more variance in achievement than ability alone. Consider an extreme example: No one would be surprised if a student who had been ill for a long period of time scored significantly lower on a standardized achievement test or a final exam than a healthy classmate of similar ability. 11-12). For example, an observed score of 130 on WISC-III is in the 98th percentile. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 13, 4-21. Schweitzgebel (1965) alluded to this phenomenon when he observed that underachievers, in contrast to slower learners, may in fact learn rapidly and well, but what they learn may not coincide with the content of our examinations (p. 486). Psychosocial development in intellectually gifted children. Chichester, England: John Wiley and Sons. Delisle, J. Determinants of underachievement as perceived by gifted, above average, and average Black students. Most high-achieving females in this study chose not to date so they could concentrate their energies on their studies. Jeon, K. (1990, August). But neither our psychological insights nor our statistical evidence give us reason to believe that a scholastic aptitude test measures all of the significant determiners of scholastic achievement. Too often, for no apparent reason, students who show great academic promise fail to perform at a level commensurate with their previously documented abilities, frustrating both parents and teachers (Whitmore, 1986). Brown, B. ), Handbook of gifted education (2nd ed., pp. Emericks study indicated that one type of effective intervention may be based on students strengths and interests (Renzulli, 1977; Renzulli & Reis, 1985, 1997). 39-40). A., Bridger, R, & Evans, K. (1998). Is providing intellectual challenge especially critical during a particular age range? Up to 50% of gifted children underachieve at some point in their school career; therefore, it is an important issue for parents and educators to address. RT @DavidsonGifted: Finding out your child is profoundly gifted or twice-exceptional can be overwhelming. McCall, R. B., Evahn, C., & Kratzer, L. (1992). Who is the gifted underachiever? Four types of - Blogger If a student performs more poorly on measures of achievement than one would expect based on measures of ability, then he or she is underachieving. Laffoon, K. S., Jenkins-Friedman, R., & Tollefson, N. (1989). This definition could include most gifted students, as many receive top grades in school without expending sustained effort. Giftedness seems like a blessing but may be a burden. Or, can we see the forest for the trees? Web WebUnderachievement is content and situation specific. The second approach is to use a sample of subjects that is homogeneous with respect to the variables thought to be significant determinants of criterion scores (Raph et al., p. 12). Intervention with underachieving gifted children: Rationale and strategies. Butler-Por, N. (1993). Academic underachievement, attention deficits, and aggression: Comorbidity and implications for intervention, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, 893-903. Professor Department of Educational Psychology D. Betsy McCoach Researcher, Parents of underachievers often tend to be overly lenient or overly strict (Pendarvis, Howley, & Howley, 1990; Weiner, 1992). (1988). ), Understanding the gifted adolescent, (pp. Interventions aimed at reversing gifted underachievement fall into two general categories: counseling and instructional interventions (Butler-Por, 1993; Dowdall & Colangelo). (1997, June). The findings suggest that achieving proficiency in English is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for Latino students to succeed in American schools, (p. 86) The causes and correlates of gifted underachievement have received considerable attention in recent research literature (Dowdall & Colangelo, 1982; Van Boxtel & Monks, 1992; Whitmore, 1986). Counseling and guidance for gifted underachievers. Gifted children who do not succeed in school are often successful in outside activities such as sports, social occasions, and after-school jobs. Deficits in self-control or self-regulation may engender underachievement (Borkowski & Thorpe, 1994; Krouse & Krouse, 1981). Family environments of underachieving gifted students. Underachievers are a very heterogeneous group. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. Reis, S. M., Hebert, T. P., Diaz, E. P., Maxfield, L. R., & Ratley, M. E. (1995). A comparative study of achieving and underachieving boys of high intellectual ability. Ideally, the researcher would standardize both the predictor and the criterion variables and would identify as underachievers those students whose actual achievement is at least one standard deviation below their expected achievement level. Friends influence on students adjustment to school. Understanding a lack of motivation to excel. Moreover, a students family, school, or community environment or peer influences may also influence his or her level of achievement. Thorndikes four reasons that explain why the correlation between measured intelligence and measured achievement is less than perfect provide insight into current issues regarding Underachievement. Educational Psychologist, 16, 151-164. The results of the four-year longitudinal study with gifted high school students who either achieved or underachieved in high school suggested that boredom with the regular curriculum in elementary and middle school often contributes to underachievement in high school. Successful Dropouts from High School Two methods can help reduce heterogeneity of the criterion variable (Raph et al., 1966). Underachievement in Gifted Children - Verywell Family Since the identification of gifted underachievers depends on defining both underachievement and giftedness, discussing criteria for identification is no less complicated. Three general themes emerge from the many operational and conceptual definitions of gifted underachievement (Dowdall & Colangelo, 1982; Ford, 1996). (1987). Academic underachievement among the gifted: Students perceptions of factors that reverse the pattern. Fine and Pitts speculated that more family conflicts occur in underachievers homes, and recent research (Reis, Hebert, Diaz, Maxfield, & Ratley, 1995) has supported this view. WebStudents who are both gifted and have LD exhibit remarkable talents in some areas and disabling weaknesses in others (Baum, 1990). Growing up gifted (3rd ed.). Gifted Child Quarterly, 36, 140-146. Second, the psychometric or standardized tests that are used to screen for gifted underachievement may not be valid or reliable indices of the abilities of students from diverse cultural backgrounds. (1990). Environmental influences and events have a major impact on students achievement. However, whenever a students performance drops substantially over a short time period, it should merit the attention of a teacher or a counselor. Current identification practices that underidentify gifted African American students hinder the identification of gifted underachievers of African American descent. Some professionals may try to gauge an age/performance discrepancy when identifying underachievers (Mandel & Marcus, 1995). Underachievement | National Association for Gifted The problem in this case lies in our initial predictions, not in the students levels of achievement. Although this may be a suitable method for identifying underachievers from the general school population, such an age/performance discrepancy may only identify the most severely underachieving gifted students. Neisser, U., Boodoo, G., Bouchard, T. J., Boykin, A. W., Brody, N., Ceci, S. J., Halpern, D. P., Loehlin, J. C., Perloff, R., Sternberg, R. J., & Urbina, S. (1996). Despite this interest, the underachievement of gifted students remains an enigma. Other definitions (Butler-Por, 1987; Ford, 1996; Rimm, 1997a) are broader and more inclusive. However conceptually sound this notion may be, a definition that does not differentiate between a straight-A student and a student who is in jeopardy of failing may have little practical utility for the practitioner. WebGifted underachievers are underachievers who exhibit superior scores on measures of expected achievement (i.e., standardized achievement test scores or cognitive or intellectual ability assessments). Holland, V. (1998). Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press. However, the relationship between language proficiency and school is complex. Berndt found that students seemed to resemble more closely their friends at the end of the school year than they did at the beginning of the school year. One could even argue that Rimms definition includes almost all students. Causal attributions of underachieving gifted, achieving gifted, and nongifted students. Underachieving students may not want to identify with their parents (Clark, 1983; Weiner, 1992). - planning into the future Setting and agenda: Research priorities for the gifted and talented through the year 2000. Rimm, S., Cornale, M., Manos, R., & Behrend, J. This behavior illustrates a values conflict between adult and child (Whitmore, 1986). -- Educational Psychologist, 33, 45-63. ), Educational resilience in inner city America, (pp. Locus of control and self-concept in achieving and underachieving bright elementary students. 119-137). The Davidson Institute bears no responsibility for the content of republished material. WebThis is a professional development presentation to help teachers recognize and teach gifted underachievers. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Family, school, and individual factors all seem to contribute to the emergence of underachievement behaviors (Baker, Bridger, & Evans, 1998). Minority students are often underrepresented in programs for the gifted and talented (Ford, 1996; Tomlinson, Callahan, & Leili, 1997). In addition, families of high-achieving students seem to encourage self-motivation, environmental engagement, and autonomy more than families of low-achieving students (Taylor). Dowdall and Colangelo (1982) observed that gifted underachievers seem to share more characteristics with underachievers than they do with gifted achievers. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. (1989). New York: Teachers College Press. Mansfield, CT: Creative Learning Press. Gifted underachievers. In J. H. Borland (Series Ed.) Charles Culpeper, owner, and CEO of Coca Cola is another example of a successful high school dropout. These are the students that the teacher may wish to assign more work, extra work or more challenging work to in order to help them get this out of their system. New York: Teachers College Press. Unmotivated underachievers may see no compelling reasons for becoming better students. Emerick, L.J. Storrs, CT: University of Connecticut, National Research Center for the Gifted and Talented. The underachievement of gifted students is a perplexing phenomenon. Gifted Child Quarterly, 42, 5-14. Social Science Research, 18, 21- 52. They can but they dont. Kaph, J. Toward a new paradigm for identifying talent potential (Research Monograph 94112). High-achieving parents often provide positive role-modeling of achievement-oriented behavior; (Rimm & Lowe; Zilli, 1971). The sample consisted of 54 students from primary schools; 35 high achievers and 24 underachievers. In 95% of the families, one parent emerged as the disciplinarian, while the other parent acted as a protector. Many states mandate the use of multiple criteria to determine giftedness. Risk and resilience: Contextual influences on the development of African American adolescents. However, such definitions may not adequately distinguish between gifted students who achieve and those who underachieve. By contrast, families of underachieving students may tend to be more restrictive and punishment-oriented (Clark, 1983). However, because standardized achievement tests do not directly reflect the actual school experience, they may not be indicative of a students classroom performance. The responses and actions of the students in this study suggest that when appropriate educational opportunities are present, gifted underachievers can respond positively (Emerick, p. 145). Zilli, M. G. (1971). From potential to performance: Motivational issues for gifted students. We have tended to become preoccupied with scholastic aptitude measures because they do correlate substantially with later achievement, and consequently do permit some improvement in the accuracy of predictions. Underachievement of highly able students and the peer society. We do not know how many talented students underachieve, but we know that this issue is foremost in the minds of practitioners (Renzulli, Reid, & Gubbins, 1992). Classroom grades, though unreliable and teacher dependent, provide one of the most commonly used methods to assess and evaluate students. Support for Learning, 13, 174-178. Reaching the gifted underachiever. The underachieving g roup was set apart by the ollf ow n i g characteristics (Ga l l a g h e r ) : Publisher: National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) The Journal of Educational Research, 90, 259-268. Achievement motivation and gifted students: A social cognitive perspective. New York: Teachers College Press. Rimm, S. (1997b). Roeper Review, 4, 18-21. The definition of achievement in a particular subculture may be very different from that of the dominant culture. In these classrooms, educators strive to create a favorable environment for student achievement by altering the traditional classroom organization. Underachievement Models of underachievement among gifted preadolescents: The role of personal, family, and school factors. Baum, S. M., Renzulli, J. S., & Hebert, T. P. (1995a). If a student spends much of his or her free time reading about world religions or volunteering at the local hospital, but fails to complete mundane homework assignments, does that represent underachievement or a personal decision reflecting a wise use of time? Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Underachieving students: Intervention programs that work. Dynamics of the underachievement of gifted students. Who is the gifted underachiever? Gifted Child Quarterly, 30, 66-69. This direction of causation between self-concept and underachievement has not been adequately addressed. (1993). The authors also include suggestions for those interested in pursuing potentially promising new lines of research and inquiry in this area. Top 12 Quotes & Sayings About Underachievers WebStudent Achievement & Underachievement: A Conversation with Del Siegle from the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented Professional Learning Online Units NRC/GT's Researched Strategies to Increase Student Motivation and Academic Achievement (5 comprehensive professional learning units based on the Achievement Orientation Model) Ford, D. Y. Silverman, L. K. (1993). WebIn this lesson, you will learn about the emotional and environmental causes of underachievement in gifted students, as well as strategies to help gifted students The authors also include suggestions for those interested in pursuing potentially promising new lines of research and inquiry in this area. The abilities of gifted children. Therefore, in the absence of developing formal programs for underachievers, providing underachievers with support, attention, and positive feedback could help these students reverse their underachievement. Factors That Differentiate Underachieving Gifted Students From Although considerable overlap exists among the three authors conceptions of underachievement typologies, each author has described at least one underachiever type that is not mentioned by either of the other authors. Synthesizing the hypothesized characteristics of gifted underachievers becomes a nearly impossible task, and legitimate questions exist regarding the utility of such a list. Although this may be a suitable method for identifying underachievers from the general school population, such an age/performance discrepancy may only identify the most severely underachieving gifted students.