1. Underachievers
1

2. Defining
‘underachievement’
2

3. ‘Underachievement is defined as a
discrepancy between a child’s school
performance and some index of his or her
actual ability, such as intelligence,
achievement, or creativity score, or
observational data.’
Davis & Rimm
1985
3

4. A DISCREPANCY
between
POTENTIAL
(what a child ought to be able to do)
and
ACTUAL PERFORMANCE
(what a child is really demonstrating)
Richert 1991
4

5. ‘Early identification and appropriate
programming prevent the establishment of
chronic patterns of underachievement or
negative attitudes toward schools; it also
allows early intervention with underachievers,
which is much more successful than later
efforts at remediation or correction. ‘
Whitmore 1980
5

6. Identifying gifted
underachievers
Intelligence test scores
Gifted : 2 SD above the mean
Achievement test scores
A pattern of continuous decline in group
achievement test scores
Observation
Teachers/parents observation checklists
6

7. Characteristics of
underachievers
• See self as inadequate
• Expect academic and social failure
• Feel helpless to control outcomes of effort
• Don’t feel free to make choices
• Set unrealistic goals
• Are defensive toward authority
• Feel rejected and isolated
• Are not willing to risk failure
• Show ineffective approaches to problems
7

8. Shared characteristics that
distinguish the achieving from
underachieving gifted
• Lack of integration of goals & self direction
• Lack of self confidence
• Inability to persevere
• Inferiority feelings
• Social immaturity
• Emotional problems
• Antisocial behavior
• Low self concept
• An unstable family environment
8

9. Underachiever Profiles
Dianne Heacox
• The Rebel ‘Why should I play the school game?’
• The Conformist ‘Don’t notice that I am smart.’
• The Stressed Learner ‘It’s not good enough.’
• The Struggling Student ‘I just don’t get it.’
• The Victim ‘It’s not my fault.’
• The Bored Student ‘There’s nothing new to learn.’
9

10. Categories of underachievement
Rimm 1995
Conformity
Dependent
conformers
Dependent
nonconformers
Non
Dominant
Conformers
Dominant
nonconformers
conformity
Dependent
Dominant
10

11. In families of underachievers

12. • The student is dependent on the mother
• The father is rejecting and domineering and gives little
warmth or affection
• The relationship between father and daughter or
father and son is negative or nonexistent
• Parents allows achievement to go unrewarded
• The children do not identify with their parents
• There are deep social and emotional problems in the
family
•
parents are not active in schools
• Parents are not supportive of their children
• The child’s achievement present a threat to the
parents and their adult superiority
• Parents do not share ideas, affection, trust or approval
• Parents are restrictive and severe in their punishment
12

13. Strategies to reverse
underachievement
•
Supportive strategies
Whitmore (1980)
These ‘affirm the worth of the child in the classroom
and convey the promise of greater potential and
success yet to be discovered and enjoyed.’
•
Intrinsic strategies
These are ‘designed to develop intrinsic achievement
motivation through the child’s discovery of rewards
available …. As a result of efforts to learn, achieve
and contribute to the group.’
•
Remedial strategies
These are ‘employed to improve the student’s
academic performance in an area of learning in which
(s)he has evidenced difficulty learning, has
experienced a sense of failure.
13

14. Focusing on strength – create challenge, variety and
opportunity for students to utilize strengths and
interests to improve school performance and facilitate indepth learning
• Curriculum compacting
• Flexible skills grouping
• Tiered assignments
• Mentorship
14

15. Tips for Teachers
• Focus on the positive
• Keep problems private
• Get them involved
• Get them interested
• Adjust your curriculum
• Provide variety
• Give them tools / opportunity for success
• Make learning appropriate & relevant
• Minimize evaluation
• Build success
• Promote positive self esteem
15

16. Pitfalls to avoid
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Inflexible teaching
Rescuing the student
Inappropriate expectations
The need to control
Getting even
Giving up
Getting angry
16

17. REFERENCES
•
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual
of mental disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC:
American Psychiatric Association.
•
Baum, S. (1990). Gifted but learning disabled: A puzzling paradox . ERIC
Digest #E479. Reston, VA: Council for Exceptional Children.
•
Olenchak, F. R., & Renzulli, J. S. (1989). The effectiveness of the
schoolwide enrichment model on selected aspects of elementary school
change. Gifted Child Quarterly, 33(1), 36-46.