Locus of control and self-concept in achieving and underachieving bright elementary students. Vocabulary facilitates communication; without a common vocabulary, professionals cannot assume that they are discussing the same construct. Attempting to define overarching psychological constructs to describe gifted underachievers is virtually impossible. To be classified as an underachiever, the discrepancy between expected and actual achievement must not be the direct result of a diagnosed learning disability and must persist over an extended period of time. 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? Supplee (1990) instituted a part-time program for gifted elementary underachievers. American Psychologist, 51, 77-101. (1985). Reversing underachievement: Creative productivity as a systematic intervention. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. Though significant research has investigated identifying characteristics of underachieving gifted students, current research is yet to fully employ the established theoretical knowledge to determine practical strategies for the reversal and remediation of underachievement in gifted students. 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). For example, low self-concept is one of the most common characteristics ascribed to underachieving gifted students (Belcastro, 1985; Bricklin & Bricklin, 1967; Bruns, 1992; Clark, 1988; Diaz, 1998; Fine & Pitts, 1980; Fink, 1965; Ford, 1996; Kanoy, Johnson, & Kanoy, 1980; Schunk, 1998; Supplee, 1990; Van Boxtel & Monks, 1992; Whitmore, 1980). Gifted Child Quarterly, 30, 66-69. Psychology in the Schools, 17, 395-399. Frasier, M. M., & Passow, A. H. (1994). 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. Definitions of gifted underachievement as a discrepancy between potential and performance are by far the most common. - time management Toward a new paradigm for identifying talent potential (Research Monograph 94112). Whitmore (1980) designed and implemented a full-time elementary program for gifted underachievers. Delisle, J. 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. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Rumberger, R. W., & Larson, K. A. Like gifted students in general., they exhibit great variability and diversity in their behaviors, interests, and abilities. (1965). Recently, Reis (1998) suggested that gifted students who are not challenged in school may actually demonstrate integrity and courage when they choose not to do required work that is below their intellectual level. Could do better. Another area for research involves studying whether and how gifted underachievers differ significantly from non-gifted underachievers. For example, a student who is clinically depressed or has other emotional or drug-related problems may experience a sudden decline in school grades. WebGifted underachievement: The causes of gifted underachievement, and interventions to reverse this pattern JESSY WU Abstract Giftedness is generally seen as the basis of However, even if the correlation between ability tests and grades is as high as .70, this still only explains 49% of the variance between the two measures, leaving slightly more than half of the variance in grades unexplained by ability. Who should make the decision as to what is considered achievement and, by extension, what is worth achieving? Obviously, factors other than ability, such as motivation, personality characteristics, family environment, school environment, and peer pressure, influence achievement. Watertown, WI: Apple. In N. Colangelo & G. A. Davis (Eds. Therefore, operational definitions of underachievement as a discrepancy will overidentify underachievement in students with higher ability levels and underidentify students with lower ability levels (Frick et al., 1991). Butler-Por, N. (1987). The third theme, presented in Table 3, views underachievement as a failure to develop or utilize latent potential without reference to other external criteria. The Journal of Educational Research, 90, 259-268. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press. Taylor, R. D. (1994). This definition could include most gifted students, as many receive top grades in school without expending sustained effort. Clasen, D. R., & Brown, B. Family, school, and individual factors all seem to contribute to the emergence of underachievement behaviors (Baker, Bridger, & Evans, 1998). The definition of achievement in a particular subculture may be very different from that of the dominant culture. WebGifted underachievement, at first g l a n c e , seems like an o x y m o r o n . Parents of high-achieving students seem to utilize an authoritative parenting style more often than parents of low-achieving students (Taylor, 1994). However, although operational definitions provide clarity, they sacrifice flexibility and inclusiveness in a quest for precision. Roeper Review, 13, 181-184. Educational Psychologist, 33, 45-63. Whether gifted students actually require interventions that are qualitatively different from nongifted underachievers has yet to be determined. Rather, a. continuum of strategies and services may be necessary if we are to systematically address this problem. Classroom grades, though unreliable and teacher dependent, provide one of the most commonly used methods to assess and evaluate students. ), Underachievement (pp. Neither study utilized a true longitudinal design, and neither researcher was able to fully track the progress of the students once they left the elementary school. Rimm (1997a) believes that if students are not working to their ability, they are underachieving (p. 18). Recent research indicates that many twice-exceptional students underachieve in school. Dropping out among Hispanic youth. Roeper Review, 7, 184-189. Disclaimer: The appearance of any information in the Davidson Institutes Resource Library does not imply an endorsement by, or any affiliation with, the Davidson Institute. In some states, students must achieve an IQ score at or above a certain cut-off in order to acquire the gifted label. There was an increasing opposition between parents as the challenger became more authoritarian and the rescuer became increasingly protective (p. 355). Recent research (Reis, Hebert, Diaz, Maxfield, & Ratley, 1995), provides further evidence that boredom may contribute to underachievement. 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) Whitmore, J. R. (1980). A score of 124 would place the student in the 95th percentile, while a score of 134 would place the student in the 99th percentile. B., Loeber, R., Christ, M. A. G., Hart, E. L., & Tannenbaum, L. E. (1991). (1991). Schunk, D. H. (1998, November). Pirozzo (1982) asserted that, generally, about half of the gifted children who score in the top 5% of intellectual ability on individualized IQ tests do not demonstrate comparable school achievement. New York: Viking Penguin. Mandel, H. P., & Marcus, S. I. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 329-339. Columbus, OH: Merrill. The Schoolwide Enrichment Model: A how-to guide, for educational excellence. Psychosocial development in intellectually gifted children. Is providing intellectual challenge especially critical during a particular age range? The causes and correlates of gifted underachievement have received considerable attention in recent research literature (Dowdall & Colangelo, 1982; Van Boxtel & Monks, 1992; Whitmore, 1986). Defining achievement is even more problematic. Educational psychology of the gifted. Being aware of these factors could change teacher and parent perceptions of the student as an underachiever. 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) Toward explaining differences in educational achievement among Mexican American language minority students. Support for Learning, 13, 174-178. McNab, T. (1997). However, underachievers who receive formal, clinical counseling do not necessarily represent the entire population of underachievers. In K. A. Heller, F. J. Monks, & A. H. Passow (Eds.) In a qualitative study of this intervention technique, five major features of the Type III enrichment process contributed to the success of the intervention. The sample consisted of 54 students from primary schools; 35 high achievers and 24 underachievers. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit. What happens when the student reenters the regular class and is once again faced will unstimulating schoolwork? Publisher: National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Dowdall and Colangelo (1982) described three underlying themes in the definition of gifted underachievement: (1988). 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. See also Needs of Gifted Talented Children Lack of Motivation Rimm, S., & Lowe, B. Emerick, L. J. No one predictor will ever include all the determinants of a behavioral outcome. 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. A second, smaller number of authors define underachievement as a discrepancy between predicted achievement and actual 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). Several issues pose potential problems for understanding the underachievement of African American students. Teachers and parents perceptions of social-psychological factors of underachievement of the gifted in Korea and the United States. Butler-Por, N. (1993). Both programs stressed the importance of addressing affective education, as well as the necessity of creating student-centered classroom environments. Educational Psychologist, 34, 15-28. However, if one accepts the general premise that underachievement involves a discrepancy between ability and achievement, a need exists to operationally define these key concepts. Permission Statement B. 45-74). Almost all of the students who completed Type III investigations showed some positive gains in either behavior or achievement during the course of the school year. (1997, June). Both longitudinal studies of achievers and underachievers and the development of structural equations models of achievement and underachievement may help clarify the direction of causality between these two variables. Zilli, M. G. (1971). Webmajority of educators use in defining gifted underachievement. WebUnderachievement in Gifted and Talented Students with Special Needs Sally M. Reis, Ph.D. The 90% confidence interval for a score of 130 is 124-134. In other words, if a student were to take the same IQ test again, there is a 90% probability that his or her score would fall between 124 and 134. Because causes and correlates of underachievement differ, no one intervention reverses underachievement patterns in the full spectrum of gifted underachievers. These parents do not set high standards or expect their children to reach them. Gifted and Talented International, 10 (2), 67-75. Richert, E. S. (1991). Three methods of assisting underachieving high school students. Curriculum compacting: A guide for teachers. Gifted achievers and gifted underachievers showed difference in their attitudes toward school, attitudes toward teacher, motivation, self-perception, and goal How many researchers have explored how success can be achieved in the mainstream in the United States without assimilation? Different types of underachievers may require different proportions of counseling, self-regulation training, and instructional or curricular modifications. In fact, it appears each additional academic course that an at-risk student completes can be expected to result in an increase of one eighth of a standard deviation in academic achievement test scores (Anderson & Keith p. 264). Unfortunately, no universally agreed upon definition of underachievement currently exists. Fink, M. B. In contrast, students who underachieved had developed neither a strong belief in self nor the resilience to overcome negative experiences with their families, their schools, and their communities. More recent studies (e.g., Anderson & Keith, 1997) report correlations as high as .67 between measures of ability and achievement. The results of this research suggest that flexible student-centered enrichment approaches may help reverse underachievement in gifted students. These interventions should be considered in view of the populations that were involved in the studies. In addition, bestowing adult status on a child at too young an age may contribute to the development of underachievement (Fine & Pitts, 1980; Rimm & Lowe, 1988). Professor Department of Educational Psychology D. Betsy McCoach Researcher, Practitioners who responded to a National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented needs assessment identified underachievement as a major research problem (Renzulli, Reid, & Gubbins, 1992). New York: John Wiley and Sons. Dowdall and Colangelo (1982) observed that gifted underachievers seem to share more characteristics with underachievers than they do with gifted achievers. 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. Academic underachievement among the gifted: Students perceptions of factors that reverse the pattern. Bright underachievers. New York: Teachers College Press. Dowdall, C. B., & Colangelo, N. (1982). Thorndike (1963) cautioned educators and psychologists not to waste their time and effort attempting to provide explanations arising solely from measurement errors, discussed below. Summer 2000. Current identification practices that underidentify gifted African American students hinder the identification of gifted underachievers of African American descent. International handbook of research and development of giftedness and talent (pp. Whitmore (1989) identified three broad causes for underachievement in gifted children: Lack of motivation to apply themselves in school Environments that do Do we help or hurt a child when we ask him or her to assimilate into the majority culture? When a person scores at one extreme of the testing continuum on one testing occasion, he or she is more likely to score closer to the mean on the next testing occasion. At what age should an individual gain control over his or her own destiny and make decisions regarding his or her priorities and goals? Even a child who does poorly in most school subjects may display a talent or interest in at least one school subject. A teacher may believe that reading Huckleberry Finn is more worthwhile than mastering a new video game, but a child may not. Interventions aimed at reversing gifted underachievement fall into two general categories: counseling and instructional interventions (Butler-Por, 1993; Dowdall & Colangelo). Bright, underachieving students might benefit from curriculum differentiation techniques (Renzulli & Smith, 1978; Reis, Burns, & Renzulli, 1992), such as curriculum compacting or Type III enrichment opportunities. 44, No. New York: Delacorte. Guest blog by Frank C. Worrell, Paula Olszewski-Kubilius and Rena F. Subotnik. Guidebook for implementing the trifocal underachievement program for schools. Unmotivated underachievers may see no compelling reasons for becoming better students. Self-regulation and motivation: A life-span perspective on underachievement. However, the relationship between language proficiency and school is complex. Some of the definitions included in Table 1through Table 4 (e.g., Mather & Udall, 1985; Redding, 1990) are specific operational definitions. In D. H. Schunk & B. J. Zimmerman (Eds. However, research on effective intervention models for this population remains scarce. Child Development, 64, 467-482. Khatena, J. Publication: Gifted Child Quarterly Planning and implementing programs for the gifted. Lupart, J. L., & Pyryt, M. C. (1996). The manifestation of underachievement may reflect a mismatch between the student and the curriculum. WebUnderachievement is the unanticipated difference between accomplishment and ability. The range of characteristics ascribed to gifted underachievers by numerous authors are summarized in Table 5 and Table 5 (continued). They can but they dont. Because students underachieve for so many different reasons, no one intervention strategy can possibly reverse these behaviors in all underachieving gifted students. Roeper Review, 16, 88-90. Underachieving gifted students. Future research on the effectiveness of separate classes for gifted underachievers should attempt to utilize a quasi-experimental design. Baum, S. M., Olenchak, F. R., & Owen, S. V. (1998). Fernandez, R. M., Hirano-Nakanishi, M., & Paulsen, R. (1989). Roeper Review, 12, 23-29. In M. Kornrich (Ed. Jeon, K. (1990, August). Storrs, CT: University of Connecticut, The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Research on the family characteristics of underachieving gifted students suggests that certain types of home environments may be related to the development of students underachievement patterns (Baker, Bridger, & Evans, 1998; Brown, Mounts, Lamborn, & Steinberg, 1993; Rimm & Lowe, 1988; Zilli, 1971). The research literature mentions only a small number of interventions. It is impossible to establish a causal relationship from case study reports of family conflict and underachievement. However, whenever a students performance drops substantially over a short time period, it should merit the attention of a teacher or a counselor. Identifying an underachiever using one of the broader, more inclusive definitions is also problematic. & M. Bireley & J. Genshaft (Vol. ; Christopher Columbus, an explorer, and discoverer of new lands.Primarily home-schooled. Gifted Education International, 9, 115-119. (p. 157) Reis and McCoach further contend that underachievement can-not be the result of a diagnosed learning disability and must be Operational definitions categorize a continuous variable (academic performance), thereby creating arbitrary divisions between achievement and underachievement at a certain cut-off point. Some professionals may try to gauge an age/performance discrepancy when identifying underachievers (Mandel & Marcus, 1995). Setting and agenda: Research priorities for the gifted and talented through the year 2000. In addition, researchers should incorporate the knowledge gained from social cognitive theory to combat underachievement (Dai, Moon, & Feldhusen, 1998; Schunk, 1998 Zimmerman, 1989). Underachievement in Gifted Children. Parents of underachievers often tend to be overly lenient or overly strict (Pendarvis, Howley, & Howley, 1990; Weiner, 1992). Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 14, 451-467. The process of defining underachievement, identifying underachieving gifted students, and explaining the reasons for this underachievement continues to stir controversy among practitioners, researchers, and clinicians. Tomlinson, C. A., Callahan, C. M., & Lelli, K. M. (1997). Models of underachievement among gifted preadolescents: The role of personal, family, and school factors. ), The gifted and talented: Developmental perspectives (pp. Unfortunately, the need for multiple approaches to treatment will complicate the research designs necessary to test the efficacy of underachievement interventions. (1990). In M. Kornrich (Ed. Defining underachievement operationally provides researchers and readers with a clearer picture of the composition of the sample being studied and enables the comparison of results of different studies. In general, inadequate research has examined the interventions aimed at reversing underachievement. Almost all colleges and universities use high school grades in their admissions procedures. Recent research by Desmet and Pereira (2021) in the journal Gifted Education International took a close look at academic underachievement. WebThis is a professional development presentation to help teachers recognize and teach gifted underachievers. Ford, D. Y. Distinguishing between a chronic underachiever and a gifted student who has processing deficits, learning disabilities, or attention deficits is crucial because the interventions that are appropriate for these subgroups may be radically different. As you can see, intelligence and high achievement are two of the big winners. Gifted Child Quarterly, 32, 353-358. Let us define underachievement as a discrepancy between expected achievement and actual achievement. 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. Renzulli, J. S. (1977). This genus of this definition, illustrated in Table 2, views underachievement as a regression equation involving human potential and performance (Frick et al., 1991). ( p. 5) Such a method may provide more insight into the nature of the childs achievement since children are repeatedly compared to the same norm group. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Underachieving gifted males: Are we missing the boat? 87-101). Hinshaw, S. P. (1992b). Often, students may not be classified as underachievers unless they have exhibited low performance for at least a year. Academic underachievement among the gifted: Students perceptions of factors that reverse the pattern. Students who seem to be unmotivated may have attention deficits. 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 It is important for educators to have a clear understanding as to who are considered gifted underachievers in the classroom. Therefore, even though a gifted students performance may decline over time, he or she could still appear to be at the top of the norm group. In 95% of the families, one parent played the role of the parent that challenges and disciplines, and the other took the role of the protector. These interventions should probably involve counseling and some form of curriculum modification or differentiation. B., Mounts, N., Lamborn, S. D., & Steinberg, L. (1993). WebGifted underachievers : a review of the past and present with implications for the future Abstract The academic underachievement of gifted students has perplexed educators, In another study comparing the families of underachievers to those of achievers, families with underachieving gifted students were not classified as dysfunctional any more frequently than families with achieving gifted students (Green, Fine, & Tollefson, 1988, p. 271). For example, statistical regression to the mean further complicates the comparison of two aptitude or achievement measurements. ed.). In L. K. Silverman (Ed.). Perceived factors influencing the academic underachievement of talented students of Puerto Rican descent. Emericks study indicated that one type of effective intervention may be based on students strengths and interests (Renzulli, 1977; Renzulli & Reis, 1985, 1997). Finally, several fundamental philosophical issues surround the entire concept of underachievement. Most of the interventions reported in the literature (i.e., Supplee, 1990; Whitmore, 1980) were designed to effect immediate results with a group of acutely underachieving gifted students. Whereas parental emphasis on achievement tends to inspire higher academic achievement (Brown et al., 1993), parents of underachievers may exhibit disinterested attitudes towards education (Jeon & Feldhusen, 1993). Eds. The construct of underachievement in gifted students differs across cultures. WebFor example, many gifted individuals underachieve simply because their parents do not stress the importance of academic achievement and how it can translate into success in the future. Underachievement occurs when a child's performance is below what is expected based on the child's ability. Friends influence on students adjustment to school. Several common factors appeared to play a part in the students reversal of underachievement. Fehrenbach, C. R. (1993). (1992). Family environments of underachieving gifted students. As educators, we may or may not be able to change the external factors that contribute to the underachievement of certain gifted students. Rimm, Cornale, Manos, and Behrend (1989) suggested using longitudinal test data in order to screen for possible underachievement.
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