Causes of Gifted Underachievement - Essay Example

Causes of Gifted Underachievement Name Institution Introduction From a basic perspective, underachievement refers to the discrepancy between a student’s academic potential, as well as how he or she is actually performing in school. It is essential to note that the determination of the potential is through examination or assessment of the performance on intelligence and achievement tests, as well as the observational data. The disparity between potential and actual performance is quite noticeable in the case of gifted underachievers. In the course of executing this research, the study will focus on assessment of lack of motivation and inappropriate curriculum and content as the critical causes of gifted underachievement. The purpose of this research is to compare and contrast two critical causes of gifted underachievement. In addition, the study will determine why it is difficult to reverse underachievement. Analysis In spite of the existence of numerous definitions, there is no universally accepted definition of students, who would be identified as having particular talents or gifts. Nevertheless, a shared understanding of giftedness is important with the intention of addressing their needs and expectations. In the case of Australia, Gagne’s model is vital in providing the most generally acceptable definitions for talent and giftedness. Integration of Gagne’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent is vital in providing research-based definitions of giftedness and talent, which tend to be logically connected to learning and teaching (Reis & McCoach, 2002). According to this model, gifted students are the ones whose potential is distinctly above average in one or more of the following domains with reference to human ability: creative, social, physical, and intellectual. From this perspective, talented students are the learners while skills are distinctly above average in one or more areas of human performance. It is critical to note that talent emerges from giftedness through a complex developmental process, as well as numerous influences inclusive of the teaching and learning opportunities. The model is essential in recognizing that giftedness is a broad concept with the ability and potentiality to encompass a range of abilities. In addition, the model recognizes that giftedness is only potential, which must go through a transformative process towards becoming a talent (Reis & McCoach, 2000). Gagne’s model makes it clear that adequate school is vital in the provision of necessary support towards enabling students to develop their gifts, as well as high abilities into high achievements and talents. Inappropriate Curriculum & Content One of the school factors, which contribute to gifted underachievement, is the tendency of adopting and implementing inappropriate curriculum and content in handling the demands and expectations of the learner. Inappropriate curriculum and content relate to inability of the learning systems and programs to match the needs and expectations of the gifted students. In addition, inappropriate curriculum and content does not incorporate extracurricular involvement, thus limiting the ability and potentiality of the gifted students to achieve their goals and targets with reference to pursuing learning expectations and demands (Baker, Bridger, & Evans, 1998). Inappropriate curriculum and content fail in attempts to compact or accelerate opportunities with the intention of alleviating boredom among the learners in pursuit of educational goals and targets. Mismatched curriculum emphasizes in one area of study at the expense of others. For instance, inappropriate curriculum might emphasize on the need for artistic child to concentrate in ‘math and science’ gifted program or the existence of a poor academic environment overall (Little, 2012). Curriculum refers to the framework, which is vital in structuring the students’ school experience. It tends to represent the expectations for growth, as well as learning while demonstrating what is valued within the context of the learning environment. The degree to which curriculum is appropriate and motivating for the gifted students depends on the individual students. In addition, it depends on how the student’s goals and values align with those in the environment. From this perspective, there is an essential interplay between the school curriculum and the motivations of the gifted students in pursuit of educational goals and targets at the end of the academic year. Curriculum focuses on generating goals to enable students pursue their goals and expectations in the course of learning. Students with a mastery goal orientation have the tendency of engaging in tasks because they seek the growth and learning the task provides or the person will experience as part of the process of engaging with the task. On the other hand, students with a performance goal orientation have the tendency of engaging in a task because of the recognition they will receive through achievement of the task (Gagne, 2004). From this perspective, curriculum is an essential aspect in determination of the level of concentration and motivation of the students in pursuit of educational goals and targets at the end of the academic year. In order for the students to feel the essential motivation in pursuit of educational goals, there is substantial need to adopt and incorporate appropriate curriculum and content with the ability to match the needs and expectations of the learner within the learning environment. Lack of Motivation Numerous highly gifted and creative children or students have learning styles, which are incompatible with the prevailing instructional methods. It is essential to note that the aspect of incompatibility might stem from a neurological dysfunction in the learner, thus causing him or her to demand or expect a divers approach to the material for grasping and comprehending the concepts (Little, 2012). Moreover, the level of instruction might be inappropriate for the students, thus restricting their learning process in the classroom with the intention of discouraging full participation towards the achievement of the goals and targets at the end of the academic period. Learning institutions and entities might focus on adoption and implementation of inappropriate curriculum and content, thus failing to motivate students or learners towards the achievement of the goals and targets (Gagne, 2005). The eventual outcome of this lack of motivation relates to poor performance among the gifted learners or students in accordance with their expectations and goals at the end of the academic period. It is the obligation of the learning institutions and entities to focus on adoption and implementation of appropriate aspects in relation to quality curriculum and content with the intention of motivating the students towards the achievement of the goals and targets, as well as expectations. Gifted underachievers tend to lack motivation in the course of addressing educational goals and targets, thus the need for intervention strategies to facilitate identification of the giftedness among these students. Lack of motivation tends to associate with the essence or aspects of low self-esteem (Landis & Reschly, 2013). Such students do not believe in their capabilities to accomplish what their families or teachers expect from their educational efforts. From this perspective, low self-esteem has direct relationship with the pressures to ‘be gifted’, thus affecting the motivation of the students seeking to achieve their educational goals and targets while exploiting appropriate curriculum and content in accordance with their needs and expectations. Why it is difficult to reverse underachievement There are diverse reasons why it might be difficult to reverse the issue of underachievement among the gifted students. In the first instance, teachers or instructors might fail in attempts to focus on the student’s gifts. It is appropriate and ideal for the teachers to examine the issue of underachievement through focusing on the strengths. Implementation of a deficiency approach encourages the child to focus on weaknesses even more than before, thus making it difficult to reverse the aspects of underachievement (Wellisch & Brown, 2012). At each point of investigation, there is substantial need to find and integrate the most effective ways to involve the students in pursuit and exploration of the personal interests and talents. The approach is ideal in the development of confidence and strengths, which will enable the student to concentrate on managing problem areas or facets. Another reason for the failure to reverse gifted underachievement among students is the failure of the instructors or entities to create an individual plan for the students suffering from such academic problems (Maddox, 2014). Creative students have the tendency of expecting adoption and implementation of appropriate solutions with the ability to offer freedom to create and support in skills and organization, as well as management of their weaknesses in pursuit of educational goals and targets at the end of the academic period (Blaas, 2014). Lack of these approaches contributes to subsequent difficulty in relation to reversal of the aspects of gifted underachievement. Instructors or teachers might also fail to examine the problem individually. It is essential to note that underachievement covers a broad spectrum of situations from a minor school problem with an obvious cause to a more entrenched long-term pattern. These approaches are appropriate in reversing gifted underachievement, which will be ideal in the improvement of the performance levels of the students while addressing their goals and targets. Conclusion Conclusively, underachievement refers to the discrepancy between a student’s academic potential, as well as how he or she is actually performing in school. There is substantial need to create teacher-parent collaboration while seeking to exploit the pool of information and experience regarding capabilities and potentiality of the student under question. The plan designed for the student has to emerge from the nature of individual gifts, as well as the root causes of underachievement such as lack of motivation and inappropriate curriculum and content. References Reis, S. M., & McCoach, D. B. (2002). Underachievement in gifted and talented students with special needs. Exceptionality, 10(2), 113-125. Reis, S. M., & McCoach, D. B. (2000). The underachievement of gifted students: What do we know and where do we go?. Gifted Child Quarterly, 44(3), 152-170. Baker, J. A., Bridger, R., & Evans, K. (1998). Models of underachievement among gifted preadolescents: The role of personal, family, and school factors. Gifted Child Quarterly, 42(1), 5-15. Little, C. A. (2012). Curriculum as motivation for gifted students. Psychology in the Schools, 49(7), 695-705. Gagne, F. (2004). Giftedness and talent: Re-examining a re-examination of the definitions. Sternberg, R., J.,(Eds), Definitions and conceptions of giftedness, 79-98. Gagné, F. (2005). From non-competence to exceptional talent: Exploring the range of academic achievement within and between grade levels. Gifted Child Quarterly, 49(2), 139-153. Landis, R. N., & Reschly, A. L. (2013). Re-examining gifted underachievement and dropout through the lens of student engagement. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 0162353213480864. Wellisch, M., & Brown, J. (2012). An integrated identification and intervention model for intellectually gifted children. Journal of advanced academics, 23(2), 145-167. Maddox, M. (2014). Exploring Teachers' Experiences of Working with Gifted Students who Underachieve (Doctoral dissertation, WALDEN UNIVERSITY). Blaas, S. (2014). The Relationship between Social-Emotional Difficulties and Underachievement of Gifted Students. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 24(02), 243-255. Read More