This document discusses underachievement in children. It defines underachievement as a significant gap between a child's abilities and their actual achievement in school. Common characteristics of underachievers include being disruptive or quiet in class, having poor attendance and motivation, and low self-esteem. Reasons for underachievement include a lack of interest, a desire for independence, or family issues. Teachers can help by providing challenge and stimulation, establishing goals, and building on small successes. The document also discusses underachievement in gifted students, causes such as pressure to conform or low self-esteem, and suggestions for teachers like creating a supportive environment.

1. Regional Institute of Education, Mysore
Assignment on
Understanding differences based on Cognitive abilities in children
Under achievement
Presented by
H.MANOHAR
1st M.Ed
RIE-MYSURU

2. Under achievement
Underachievement can be defined as an inability or failure to
perform appropriately for one’s age or talents, i.e. unfulfilled
potential.
A child who is underachieving has a significant gap between his
or her ability and what he or she is actually achieving at school.

3. Who are underachievers ?

4. •An underachiever is a person who fails to
achieve his or her potential or does not do
as well as expected. Of particular interest
like academic underachievement.

5. There are four common pressure areas underachieving students
frequently experience:
• Pressure to be the smartest
• Pressure to be different
• Pressure to be popular
• Pressure to be loyal to peer group or family

6. Characteristics of Underachievers
Disruptive or quiet in class
Poor attendance
Low self‐esteem
Low motivation
Poor organizational skills
Contd..

7. Immature
Not goal oriented
Procrastinates
See self as inadequate
Expect academic and social failure

8. Reasons for Underachievement
• The assigned tasks just do not seem interesting, relevant, or
important to the child’s life.
• It’s an expression of the child’s desire to show independence.
• It’s a way for the child can gain power by taking control away from
parent and/or teachers.
• To gain control a child may express anger against parents or teachers
by going on “strike.”
• It’s sometimes easier to drop out than to go along with others’
demands.
• A child may fear that success will result in pressures other will expect
more and more.

9. Contd…
• There is too much emphasis put on extrinsic incentives for
achievement rather than the intrinsic rewards of learning.
• The child is unable to think about future plans or goals.
• The child has poor study habits or has not learned ways to organize
material.
• The child is disheartened because of a learning disability or learning
deficit.
• The child is preoccupied with concerns, such as family matters.

10. How to Help an Underachiever
• Create an environment that promotes achievement and motivation.
Provide high but reasonable expectations.
• Avoid power struggles. Try not to impose your will on your child. Working
together produces results.
• Developing a positive relationship with a parent and/or teacher is the
most important factor to reverse underachievement.
• Provide stimulation, interest, and challenge. Show how learning relates to
the “real world.”
• Establish appropriate goals and sub-goals. Emphasize effort rather than a
grade.
• Build on gradual success. Support small steps.

11. What Can Educators Do?
• Ensure that opportunities are provided for academic challenge within
your classroom.
• Provide opportunities for these students to pursue topics of interest
through independent projects.
• Help underachieving students set realistic goals that they can
eventually reach.
• Encourage students to pursue out of school interests.

12. What Teachers supposed to do in school:
 Focus on the positive
 Keep problems private
 Get them involved
 Get them interested
 Adjust your curriculum
 Provide variety

13. Contd…
Give them tools / opportunity for success
 Make learning appropriate & relevant
 Minimize evaluation
 Build success
 Promote positive self esteem

14. Under-achievement and suggested strategies under
three categories
• Supportive
• intrinsic
• remedial

15. In the supportive categories the various
strategies were
• To provide opportunities for students to discuss concerns
with teachers and counsellors
• To accommodate learning styles
• To modify teaching styles
• To use mastery learning
• To use co-operative learning and group work
• To use reinforcement and praise

16. Contd..
• to use students centered class rooms
• to ensure the involvement of mentor and role models
• to use multicultural education and counselling techniques

17. The intrinsic strategies were:
• To provide constructive and consistent feedback
• To give choices and focus on interests
• To provide active and experimental learning
• To ensure nurturing and affirming class rooms

18. The remedial strategies were
• To implement academic counselling
• To teach time management and organization
• To use individual and small group instruction

19. Underachievement in Gifted Students
• While gifted students learn easily and think deeply and
creatively about various topics, they often fall prey
to underachievement, when test scores or other evidence
of learning does not correlate to student ability.
• Knowing that gifted students are not reaching their full
level of ability is frustrating to both educators and parents.
What causes underachievement in gifted children and how
can teachers help overcome it?

20. Causes of Underachievement
• Emotional Causes
1. Pressure to conform
2. Fear of failure
3. Low self-esteem
• Environmental Causes
1. Cultural influences
2. A lack of a supportive academic environment
3.Family structure

21. Suggestions for Teachers
• Classroom management, classroom control and classroom discipline
are absolutely essential if students are to achieve the educational
goals.
• It is very necessary to create democratic school environment at every
level to reduce academic stress and to enhance academic
achievement.
• The reward-punishment system simply cannot produce self-directed,
responsible, independent students.

22. Conclusion
• School environment affects academic achievement of the students.
• Teachers can encourage students providing better learning which will
give feedback on their better performance.
• Underachievers in science can achieve better if they are provided with
the appropriate controlling school environment.

23. References
 Aggarwal, J.C (2006), Psychology of learning and development, Shift
Publication, Delhi.
 Best, J.W. and Kahn, J.V. (2003). Research in Education. New Delhi: Prentice
Hall of India Pvt. Ltd.
 Gallagher, J.J. (1979), Issues in Education for the Gifted. The Gifted and the
Talented their Education and Development
 American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of
mental disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC: American
Psychiatric Association.