Post (2016) acknowledges that identifying gifted underachievers is difficult because they often do not fit the model of "gifted" students. Smutney (2004) lists common characteristics of underachieving gifted students as:
- Low self-esteem
- Consistently negative attitude toward school and learning
- Reluctance to take risks or apply one’s self
- Discomfort with competition
- Lack of perseverance
- Lack of goal-directed behavior
- Social isolation
- Weaknesses in skill areas and organization
- Disruptiveness in class and resistance to class activities.
Post (2016) states that the basis for identifying underachieving gifted students is that the students have a discrepancy between achievement and ability that must have happened for a year or more and that the students do not have a disability.
Some underachieving gifted students fall into certain characteristic categories (Post, 2016):
Involuntary Underachiever: these students do not have access to learning due to underfunded schools, poorly trained teachers and staff, and other school environmental conditions that do not allow students equitable access to learning.
Classic Underachiever: these students typically start to underachieve in middle school and into high school in all areas of learning. They are often apathetic or even rebellious and can give logical reasons for their underperformance. They can show signs of depression and typically resist all efforts by parents and teachers to encourage or coerce them into learning.
Selective Underachiever: these students select the courses or areas of learning in which they will excel or fail, typically based on their respect for the teacher and interest in the subject matter. They enjoy challenges in their chosen classes but disregard learning in other classes.
Under-the-radar Underachievers: these students are rarely identified as underachieving because they do well in school and in all areas; however, because they do well, they are rarely challenged and find themselves lacking the skills for handling pressure and stress later in college or employment.
Underachieving gifted students can be difficult to deal with as a classroom teacher because the issues are typically behavioral. The instructional approach to teaching the subject matter may make all the difference with keeping them interested and active in learning at their level.
Some approaches identified by the University of Delaware School of Education (2013) are:
- Compact the curriculum and provide enrichment activities.
- Implement a multi-level and multi-dimensional curriculum.
- Be flexible with the curriculum.
- Make the curriculum student-centered.
- Allow students to pursue independent projects based on their own individual interests.
- Allow gifted children to assume ownership of their own learning through curriculum acceleration.
- Teach interactively.
- Remember that gifted children may not excel in all areas.
Planning and delivering instruction modified for the diverse groups in the classroom can be a daunting task, but understanding what students need to excel in school is the first step in helping them learn to the best of their abilities.
References:
Post, G. (2016). Who is the gifted underachiever? Four types of underachievement in gifted children. Retrieved on March 5, 2017, from http://giftedchallenges.blogspot.com/2016/02/who-is-gifted-underachiever-four-types.html
Smutney, J. (2004). Meeting the needs of gifted underachievers – individually! Retrieved on March 5, 2017, from http://www.davidsongifted.org/Search-Database/entry/A10442
University of Delaware School of Education. (2013). Gifted students: Recommendations for teachers. Retrieved on March 5, 2017, from http://www.education.udel.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/GiftedStudents.pdf
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