Gifted children who are struggling academically present an unmet challenge for the educational system. Renzulli, J. S., & Reis, S. R. (1985). Chichester, England: John Wiley and Sons. Underachievement for somedropping out with dignity for others. Another area for research involves studying whether and how gifted underachievers differ significantly from non-gifted underachievers. In F. Horowitz & M. OBrien (Eds. Because of these errors of measurement, psychologists can never determine with 100% certainty a students true score on the original measure. Giftedness (also called talented and gifted or TAG) is primarily determined through testing, which is often conducted by school districts. Just as IQ scores are not completely reliable, standardized achievement test scores are also subject to errors of measurement due to content sampling, time sampling, and other issues. Janos, P. M., & Robinson, N. (1985). Counselors and therapists can help underachievers strengthen deficient reward systems, modify passive-aggressive propensities, and alleviate emotional deficits; educators can help students fill educational gaps and alleviate or compensate for cognitive handicaps. Social Science Research, 18, 21- 52. Gifted Child Quarterly, 42, 105-122. This approach (Renzulli, 1977) specifically targets student strengths and interests in order to help reverse academic underachievement (Baum, Renzulli, & Hebert, 1995b). Underachievers in school: Issues and intervention. Lupart, J. L., & Pyryt, M. C. (1996). If the criterion is academic achievement defined in terms of course grades, it is impossible to compare grades across subject areas or even across students because of the variability in content and presentation. B., Mounts, N., Lamborn, S. D., & Steinberg, L. (1993). Counseling interventions for passive-aggressive underachievers are most effective when the student seeks counseling or at least participates willingly in the counseling process. B. The effects of group counseling on gifted underachieving adolescents. Reversing underachievement among gifted Black students. The prism metaphor: A new paradigm for reversing underachievement (CRS95310). Recent research (Reis, Hebert, Diaz, Maxfield, & Ratley, 1995), provides further evidence that boredom may contribute to underachievement. Intervention with underachieving gifted children: Rationale and strategies. Mansfield, CT: Creative Learning Press. Hinshaw, S. P. (1992b). The psychology of underachievement. The attitude achievement paradox among Black adolescents. Underachieving gifted students: Review and implications. Underachievement in Gifted Children. 9 Citations. How can a gifted student also be an under-achiever? Weiner (1992) outlined four different interventions for four distinct groups of low achieving students: (1) strengthening deficient reward systems, (2) alleviating cognitive and emotional handicaps, (3) filling educational gaps, and (4) modifying passive-aggressive propensities. 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. 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 152-170 Baum, S. M., Renzulli, J. S., & Hebert, T. P. (1995b). Rather, they are retained as a result of their classroom performance. 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). 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). This article reviews and analyzes three decades of research on the underachievement of gifted students in an attempt to clarify the present state of research. (1981). Up from underachievement. Academic underachievement and behavior disorders, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 189-194. Fehrenbach, C. R. (1993). Many early attempts to improve underachievers academic achievement through counseling treatments were unsuccessful (Baymur & Patterson, 1965; Broedel, Ohlsen, Profit, & Southard, 1965). Finally, should adults place higher expectations on gifted students, or does this represent an elitist and utilitarian view of humanity? At what age should an individual gain control over his or her own destiny and make decisions regarding his or her priorities and goals? M. (1995). Vol. Many states mandate the use of multiple criteria to determine giftedness. Further research in this area must focus on developing multiple approaches to both preventing and reversing underachievement. Crossover children: A sourcebook for helping students who are gifted and learning disabled. (1991). The manifestation of underachievement may reflect a mismatch between the student and the curriculum. Child Development, 64, 467-482. 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. Since the identification of gifted underachievers depends on defining both underachievement and giftedness, discussing criteria for identification is no less complicated. 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. For Belcastro, F. P. (1985). 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. Identifying distinguishing characteristics of gifted and talented learning disabled students. For each personality trait common to gifted underachievers, there are many other underachieving gifted students who do not exhibit that trait. 119-137). Storrs, CT: University of Connecticut, National Research Center for the Gifted and Talented. ), Understanding the gifted adolescent, (pp. Unfortunately, no universally agreed upon definition of underachievement currently exists. Classroom grades, though unreliable and teacher dependent, provide one of the most commonly used methods to assess and evaluate students. Students who are not given adequate opportunities to develop their talents often become involuntary underachievers. Recent research suggests that quality of schooling (Anderson & Keith, 1997; Baker, Bridger, & Evans, 1998) and completion of academic course-work research (Anderson & Keith) appear to be significant predictors of achievement for at-risk high school students. Academic underachievement, attention deficits, and aggression: Comorbidity and implications for intervention, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, 893-903. Gifted individuals have learning differences, including divergent thinking, quirky humor, and a penchant for Gifted Child Quarterly, 39, 224-235. Both programs stressed the importance of addressing affective education, as well as the necessity of creating student-centered classroom environments. This material may not be reproduced without permission from NAGC. Anderson, E. S., & Keith, T. Z. 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). Counseling and guidance for gifted underachievers. 484-487). Clark, B. Guest blog by Frank C. Worrell, Paula Olszewski-Kubilius and Rena F. Subotnik. The underachievement of gifted students is a perplexing phenomenon. Mexican American students who came from Spanish-speaking backgrounds and who became proficient in English (FEP) were generally more successful in school than were those from Spanish-speaking backgrounds who were not proficient (LEP students) in English or than Latino students from English speaking backgrounds. However, using such a formula to screen for gifted underachievement may underestimate the number of students who are falling into patterns of underachievement. Underachieving boys: Problems and solutions. In other words, tests may not register the decline since the first test did not discriminate accurately (Rimm et al., 1989 p. 62). A teacher may believe that reading Huckleberry Finn is more worthwhile than mastering a new video game, but a child may not. Delisle, J. Standardized achievement tests offer one advantage over classroom grades: They provide documented, empirical evidence of reliability. (1988). Sixty-six percent of the students named peer pressure or attitude of the other kids, including friends, as the primary force against getting good grades (pp. Watertown, WI: Apple. If unchallenging scholastic environments produce underachieving gifted students, then providing intellectual challenge and stimulation at all grade levels should decrease underachievement. Conversely, there is a 10% chance that this students real IQ score is lower than 124 or higher than 134. (1997, June). 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). Rimm (1997a) believes that if students are not working to their ability, they are underachieving (p. 18). Oxford: Pergamon. There are a variety of ability areas that may be assessed, including general intellect, creativity, leadership abilities, and specific subjects, such as math. The most successful programs to reverse underachievement behaviors will provide a menu of intervention options for different types of underachieving gifted students. Finally, several fundamental philosophical issues surround the entire concept of underachievement. Toward a new paradigm for identifying talent potential (Research Monograph 94112). These interventions should probably involve counseling and some form of curriculum modification or differentiation. 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. New York: Teachers College Press. Does the underachievement of the child create problems in the family unit? Storrs, CT: University of Connecticut, The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Giftedness seems like a blessing but may be a burden. Furthermore, Rimm (1995) developed her underachiever profiles to reflect the variety of students she had treated in her clinical practice. Planning and implementing programs for the gifted. The Schoolwide Enrichment Model: A comprehensive plan for educational excellence. However, such definitions may not adequately distinguish between gifted students who achieve and those who underachieve. If we hold low expectations for students who then achieve at low levels, they are not underachievers. 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? Such a method may provide more insight into the nature of the childs achievement since children are repeatedly compared to the same norm group. Educational Psychologist, 33, 45-63. The parents of unmotivated underachievers may also benefit from therapeutic strategies that encourage them to speak positively about education, show an interest in their childs schoolwork, and praise their childs accomplishments (Weiner). New York: Teachers College Press. (Rev. Participants in Emericks study perceive that out-of-school interests and activities, parents, development of goals associated with grades, teachers, and changes in selves had a positive impact on achievement. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 14, 451-467. However, neither study used a control or comparison group; therefore, the results of their studies may not be generalizable to the entire population of underachievers. ), Underachievement (pp. 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. The concepts of over and underachievement. Certain treatments aimed at combating underachievement combine counseling and school-centered interventions. Dai, D. Y, Moon, S. M., & Feldhusen, J. F. (1998). A comparative study of achieving and underachieving boys of high intellectual ability. A common method of defining ability involves the use of an IQ test, such as the WISC-III or the Stanford-Binet IV. In K. A. Heller, F. J. Monks, & A. H. Passow (Eds.) 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. 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). However, identifying underachieving gifted students by locating discrepancies between ability and achievement as measured by standardized achievement tests may lead to the underidentification of this population. B., Loeber, R., Christ, M. A. G., Hart, E. L., & Tannenbaum, L. E. (1991). New York: Teachers College Press. Charles Culpeper, owner, and CEO of Coca Cola is another example of a successful high school dropout. Furthermore, the majority of interventions have attained limited long-term success (Dowdall & Colangelo, 1982; Emerick, 1992). See also Needs of Gifted Talented Children Lack of Motivation Why bright kids get poor grades and what you can do about it. New York: John Wiley and Sons. One would expect a gifted students performance to be above grade level in some subject areas, especially those areas in which that student has been identified as gifted. 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. 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). Pirozzo, R. (1982). The concept of underachievement, though often discussed, is still vaguely defined in the professional literature. Several issues pose potential problems for understanding the underachievement of African American students. Jeon, K. W., & Feldhusen, J. F. (1993). If a certain amount of variation between aptitude measures and achievement measures is normal, how does one distinguish between normal variability in scores and a discrepancy that indicates a cause for concern? 3, pp. When working with this type of underachiever, a counselor should find ways of implementing reward systems that will encourage the students scholastic efforts and reinforce academic successes. Some researchers have suggested this minority language background may adversely affect Hispanic students academic achievement (Fernandez, Hirano-Nakanish & Paulsen, 1989). International handbook of research and development of giftedness and talent (pp. However, the current conceptualization and the literature on the underachieving gifted and on special populations (such as gifted/LD, gifted/ADD or ADHD, gifted students with physical disabilities or behavioral or emotional problems) appear to treat the two groupings as separate and unrelated (Lupart & Pyryt, 1996, pp. Publisher: National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Both programs provided anecdotal and some qualitative evidence of at least partial success. WebStudents who are both gifted and have LD exhibit remarkable talents in some areas and disabling weaknesses in others (Baum, 1990). Environmental influences and events have a major impact on students achievement. We need to individualize programs for underachieving gifted students at least as much as we individualize programs for achieving gifted students. Curriculum compacting: A guide for teachers. Challenging expectations: Case studies of culturally diverse young children. High-achieving students acknowledged the importance of being grouped together in honors and advanced classes for academically talented students. The purpose of this study was to examine whether gifted achievers and gifted underachievers differ in their general academic self-perceptions, attitudes Kanoy, R. C., Johnson, B. W., & Kanoy, K. W. (1980). Eleven of the 17 participants showed improved achievement; 13 of the 17 students appeared to exert more effort within their classes; and 4 of the 17 students showed marked improvement in their classroom behavior. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press. General, social, and academic self-concepts of gifted adolescents. No test is 100% reliable. (1990). Schneider, S. (1998, Fall). This definition could include most gifted students, as many receive top grades in school without expending sustained effort. In most counseling situations, the counselors goal is not to force the underachiever to become a more successful student, but rather to help the student decide whether success is a desirable goal and, if so, to help reverse counterproductive habits and cognitions. For example, Rimms trifocal model is a three-pronged approach that involves parents and school personnel in an effort to reverse student underachievement (Rimm, 1995; Rimm, et al., 1989). Setting and agenda: Research priorities for the gifted and talented through the year 2000. The 90% confidence interval for a score of 130 is 124-134. (ERIC Document Delivery Service ED328051). If you have questions about what the Young Scholars Program is or how we can support your student, please consider attending an Application Q&A session Monday, May 15, 2023 at 10:00am Pacific Time. - organization, Gifted Education in the U.S. - State Policy & Legislation, Tips for Students: Inspiring Young Scientists through Independent Research, Davidson Fellows - Leveraging Science & Engineering Innovation to Better the Environment. Interventions that enhance self-efficacy or develop self-regulation may complement other intervention strategies and increase the effectiveness of other interventions. However, the criteria needed to identify giftedness vary from state to state and from district to district. New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks. In fact, only three typesthe anxious underachiever, the rebellious underachiever, and the complacent/coasting underachieverhave approximate parallels in all three authors schema. 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. Diagnostique, 21 (1), 43-59. No reason exists to believe that all gifted students should achieve well academically (Janos & Robinson, 1985) or that ability and achievement should be perfectly correlated (Thorndike, 1963). Webunderachievement appear to be one of the major reasons for disagreement, and different researchers may use different measures to determine who is an underachiever. Supplee, P. L. (1990). Rimm, S. (1995). Taylor, R. D. (1994). All comments will be submitted for approval before posting publicly. 514-528). The documented effectiveness of most interventions designed to reverse underachievement in gifted students has been inconsistent and inconclusive (Emerick, 1988). Gifted Child Quarterly, 30, 66-69. Do schools that differentiate instruction for high-ability students have fewer, incidences of underachievement? The first method involves using a large random sample of subjects in order to dilute the effects of criterion heterogeneity. ), Handbook of Gifted Education (2nd ed., pp. In addition, many professionals add a temporal dimension to the identification procedure (Mandel & Marcus, 1995). Like gifted students in general., they exhibit great variability and diversity in their behaviors, interests, and abilities. Peer issues may also contribute to the achievement and underachievement of adolescents. Students who seem unmotivated may have attention deficits (Busch & Nuttall, 1995) or hidden learning disabilities. 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). Hidden gifted students: Underachiever prevalence and profile, Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 20, 36-53. WebCharacteristics of gifted underachievers. 44, No. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. Some of the definitions included in Table 1through Table 4 (e.g., Mather & Udall, 1985; Redding, 1990) are specific operational definitions. Counseling the gifted and talented. 416-435). These findings suggest that reversing the underachievement pattern may mean taking a long, hard look at the underachievers curriculum and classroom situation. In a qualitative study of this intervention technique, five major features of the Type III enrichment process contributed to the success of the intervention. Finally, African American students often exhibit an attitude-achievement paradox; they report positive attitudes toward education, yet they manifest poor academic achievement. Bireley. RT @DavidsonGifted: Finding out your child is profoundly gifted or twice-exceptional can be overwhelming. In these classrooms, educators strive to create a favorable environment for student achievement by altering the traditional classroom organization. Or, can we see the forest for the trees? In J. H. Borland (Series Ed.) Parents of underachievers often tend to be overly lenient or overly strict (Pendarvis, Howley, & Howley, 1990; Weiner, 1992). The issues surrounding the identification of culturally diverse gifted students have received greater attention in recent years, and several points seem clear. Krouse, J. H., & Krouse, H. J. Use of behavior modification strategies: A review of the research. Mandel, H. P., & Marcus, S. I. 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. 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. Reggie Bush, RB, Miami Dolphins: Bush was on his way to a top five appearance before he finally had a breakout season for the Dolphins in 2011, putting to Personal patterns of underachievement. 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. Even a child who does poorly in most school subjects may display a talent or interest in at least one school subject. The authors also include suggestions for those interested in pursuing potentially promising new lines of research and inquiry in this area. When teachers expect students to complete work involving content and concepts mastered several years earlier, high-ability students become difficult to motivate. The absence of any clear, precise definition of gifted underachievement restricts research-based comparisons and hinders the quest for suitable interventions. One fact seems certain: The identification procedure should flow directly and logically from the definition of gifted underachievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 329-339. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Only after we recognize potential can we assess whether performance is below potential. Please note, the Davidson Institute is a non-profit serving families with highly gifted children. Mandel, H. P., & Marcus, S. I. Counseling interventions concentrate on changing the personal or family dynamics that contribute to a students underachievement. The underachieving g roup was set apart by the ollf ow n i g characteristics (Ga l l a g h e r ) : One could even argue that Rimms definition includes almost all students. Where Are the Gifted Minorities? ), Underachievement (pp. When we hold low expectations for students, we may be unable to recognize, and therefore reverse, these students underachievement behaviors. Jeon, K. (1990, August). Tomlinson, C. A., Callahan, C. M., & Lelli, K. M. (1997). Reaching the gifted underachiever. Recent research by Desmet and Pereira (2021) in the journal Gifted Education International took a close look at academic underachievement. 68-69). An orphan for many years, (1985). As educators, we may or may not be able to change the external factors that contribute to the underachievement of certain gifted students. For example, according to several authors (e.g., Belcastro, 1985; Bricklin & Bricklin, 1967; Bruns, 1992; Diaz, 1998; Dowdall & Colangelo, 1982; Fine & Pitts, 1980; Fink, 1965; Ford, 1996; Kanoy, Johnson, & Kanoy, 1980; Schunk, 1998; Supplee, 1990; Van Boxtel & Monks, 1992; Whitmore, 1980), positive self-concept appears to correlate with student achievement, raising an interesting but unanswered question: Does low self-concept cause underachievement or does underachievement result in a deterioration of self-concept, or does a third exogenous variable influence both self-concept and scholastic achievement? These classroom strategies can provide attractive and interesting curricular replacement options and enrichment to advanced students. Fink, M. B. Externalizing behavior problems and academic underachievement in childhood and adolescence: Causal relationships and underlying mechanisms. (1991). Underachieving students may not want to identify with their parents (Clark, 1983; Weiner, 1992). As the next millennium approaches, researchers must move beyond describing this educational dilemma and instead strive to find solutions. Guidebook for implementing the trifocal underachievement program for schools. Colangelo, N., Kerr, B., Christensen, P., & Maxey, J. Storrs, CT: University of Connecticut, The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Let us define underachievement as a discrepancy between expected achievement and actual achievement. Butler-Por, N. (1993). 149-195). Parenting practices and peer group affiliation in adolescence. Vocabulary facilitates communication; without a common vocabulary, professionals cannot assume that they are discussing the same construct. Gowan, J. C. (1957). If a student scores in the 99th percentile on an IQ test, that does not mean that he or she should also score in the 99th percentile on standardized measures of achievement. In D. H. Schunk & B. J. Zimmerman (Eds. Reston, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children. A longitudinal study of 35 culturally diverse, gifted urban high school students compared successful students to a similar group of high-ability students who did not achieve (Reis et al., 1995).
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