How Can Peers Impact Underachievement?
A final cause in underachievement in gifted students can be contributed to the peers that surround a gifted student. A gifted student may be swayed by the feelings of the peers around them on how well to do in school. If the school peers of a gifted student do not see a value in learning and doing well, then often times, gifted students will become underachievers just to follow their peer group. Siegle and McCoach (2009) reported that “underachieving students frequently report peer pressure influence as the strongest force impeding their achievement” (p. 199) because they are trying to fit in with the people they are surrounded by on a daily basis. Gifted students do not always want to stand out and be different from their classmates. The grades and achievement levels of gifted students have been found to mirror those of their peers throughout the school year. Many highly achieving students can become underachievers throughout the school year based on those their chosen peers. In studies it has been found that the gifted student’s grades will be high in the fall semester when school begins and then will slowly fall as the year progresses into the spring term due to changes in friends during the school year or changes in friends’ ideas of what is seen as socially acceptable during the school year (Diegle & McCroach, 2009).
The effects of peer pressure are often seen starting around the middle school years for gifted students. In elementary school it would be socially acceptable to be the smart one in the class and the teacher’s favorite; however, with the changes that occur during the adolescent years, these behaviors are no longer seen as cool. This struggle between being a high achieving gifted student and fitting in with the popular crowd will often cause gifted students to become underachievers. Jan and Bob Davidson (2004) discovered in their research that gifted students “have a hard time being comfortable (in school) with themselves because no one else, they fear, will be comfortable with who they are” (p 44). The gifted student must learn to adapt to the culture around them in order to feel as if they belong and this often means disguising their ability. This new adaptation can cause permanent damage to the gifted student’s future ability because it has caused the student to no longer challenge his/her mind and to continue to push himself/herself academically.
The effects of peer pressure are often seen starting around the middle school years for gifted students. In elementary school it would be socially acceptable to be the smart one in the class and the teacher’s favorite; however, with the changes that occur during the adolescent years, these behaviors are no longer seen as cool. This struggle between being a high achieving gifted student and fitting in with the popular crowd will often cause gifted students to become underachievers. Jan and Bob Davidson (2004) discovered in their research that gifted students “have a hard time being comfortable (in school) with themselves because no one else, they fear, will be comfortable with who they are” (p 44). The gifted student must learn to adapt to the culture around them in order to feel as if they belong and this often means disguising their ability. This new adaptation can cause permanent damage to the gifted student’s future ability because it has caused the student to no longer challenge his/her mind and to continue to push himself/herself academically.
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[Danae of Non Sequiter - Underachievement] retrieved June 26, 2013 from http://www.walker1812.com/ElysiumPlayground/wwwroot/scene/entertainment/danae.htm.
[Danae of Non Sequiter - Underachievement] retrieved June 26, 2013 from http://www.walker1812.com/ElysiumPlayground/wwwroot/scene/entertainment/danae.htm.