Reasons Why Gifted Children Sometimes Underachieve
Introduction
This is an edited extract from Underachievement in Gifted and Talented Students, a paper presented at the "Now is the Future: The Gifted Student in Today's Secondary Schools" Gifted and Talented Education Conference, Auckland, October 2000.
Prepared by Sonia White
2001
School marks are determined by many factors, of which intelligence is only one. We need to ask ourselves:
- whether or not the student is consistently underachieving;
- if the underachievement is demonstrated in only some areas, and if so, which areas;
- if there is a pattern of behaviours emerging which is contributing to the student's lack of performance or motivation.
We need to bear in mind that:
- it is normal for a student not to do equally well in every school subject;
- temporary drops in school performance during certain transitions within a student's school years can be expected, and are not necessarily cause for concern.
- And finally, we need to recognise that changing achievement patterns takes time.
"For every year of underachievement it can take eight months to turn it around"
(Pat Schuler, 1998).
Therefore it is important that we examine several key areas when we seek to establish reasons for underachievement, for "one shoe fits all" does not apply. It is helpful to examine:
- the degree of perfectionism,
- the sensitivity of the student,
- signs of possible learning disability which may be disguised by the student's giftedness, and
- the degree to which the educational programme is appropriate for the student.
In doing so, we may begin to build up a picture of the individual student and address the underachievement in a manner appropriate for that student.
Underachievement in gifted students has its basis in a wide range of potential contributing factors, all of which are worthy of close examination. Social and emotional factors contribute heavily, and those people involved in developing individual education programmes (IEPs) for gifted students need to be well versed in them. Not all underachievement can be attributed to only social and emotional factors however.
Arguably the most frequently unidentified gifted and talented student, the "cross-over" student, is both gifted and has learning difficulties. Those with severe learning difficulties are usually recognised because of their need for full educational assessment. However, the gifted "cross-over" student performing at an average level is most frequently overlooked. The double-labelled, or "cross-over" student who has a learning difficulty or a physical or sensory disability may have a high degree of frustration and low self-esteem, especially if coupled with a high degree of perfectionism.
This becomes more apparent when students are assessed on a full educational assessment. Tests such as the WISC III provide excellent diagnostic sub-tests, which can indicate learning blocks caused by skills such as short-term memory or coding. A student who normally achieves in the 55th percentile range yet who achieves in the 40th percentile range for coding or short-term memory, is not as disadvantaged as a student who normally achieves in the 95th percentile range and yet who achieves in the 40th percentile range for coding or short-term memory. The gap between potential and two key areas in their performance is nowhere near as great.
The unrecognised "cross-over" student is not only trapped in a cycle of underachievement, resultant frustration, and low self-esteem, s/he is also an untapped, wasted talent that society can ill-afford to lose.