What Does "Underachievement" Actually Mean?
One of the hardest parts of identifying a gifted underachiever is identifying what underachievement really means. Underachievement is hard to define and, therefore, can be hard to determine if a child is underachieving or not in the classroom: “Without a clear definition, the concept of gifted underachievement remains elusive” (Hoover-Schultz, 2005, p. 46). The most commonly agreed upon definition for underachievement states that there is a discrepancy between the expected performance of a gifted student and their actual performance in the classroom. It can still be hard to determine the level of underachievement because there are a variety of tests that can be used to determine a student’s potential such as standardized test or IQ test and then the various ways students are assessed in a classroom (Seigle, 2013). The discrepancy should be present over a long period of time to identify a student as being an underachiever because any number of outside factors can contribute to underachievement in a short period of time.
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[untitled image of Breakfast Club]. Retrieved June 25, 2013, from: http://blogs.psychcentral.com/creative-mind/files/2012/10/The-Breakfast-Club.jpg.
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[untitled image of Breakfast Club]. Retrieved June 25, 2013, from: http://blogs.psychcentral.com/creative-mind/files/2012/10/The-Breakfast-Club.jpg.