Combating Underachievement in Gifted Students
Posted on
Tue, May 11, 2010 @ 02:36 PM
by
admin
Tagged with:
boarding schools, College Prep Schools, Gifted Students, Int'l. Baccalaureate
’)
Even students who are labeled gifted or talented experience underachievement. When they are performing well below what their parents or teachers recognize they are capable of, they are underachieving. But pointing out the situation is often not enough to spur a child to suddenly increase their level of scholastic output or effort.There are generally two major reasons a gifted students can be underachievers: external forces and internal forces. Among external forces are more environmental factors, such as classes and teachers that do not provide a challenge, peer pressure, isolation from peers by being gifted and family dynamics. Internal factors include feelings of anxiety or depression, learning difficulties and rebellion.
Many underachievers are prone to disorganization. They lose assignments, don’t turn in homework, daydream, lack prioritization skills and spend more time on activities like reading or video games than on the work they should be doing for class. Others gifted students are perfectionists who are often unable to complete assignments on time because they are so worried about doing a great job; others are more concerned about speed, and being done first, to do a quality job. Either way, the result is the same – performance of a lower caliber than is possible.
Some of the ways parents can foster higher achievement for gifted students include:
- Demonstrating the link between effort, or work, and accomplishment.
- Communicating positive reinforcement regarding hard work and the link with achievement.
- Helping their child understand that struggle leads to self-confidence and higher achievement.
- Avoiding overreaction to their child’s successes or failures, which can lead to feelings of anxiety and pressure or disappointment and frustration.
Many underachievers are poor losers – they want to succeed, but unless they are confident they can, they will give up too soon. Fostering self-confidence can assist students in continuing to work and to achieve.
