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Intelligence
Intelligence and the childMythsGeneticsStudy of intelligenceNature of giftednessCreativityFAQIdentificationPsychology testsIQ scoreIdentifying talentscharacteristicsExceptional qualitiesObservationsLists and limitationNurture
Protegy and childhoodSecret of successGenius factoryObjectionsAssembly lineGrowthCultivating talentsProblemsPlay and explorationSelf conceptFamily relationshipKindergartenUnderachieversPre-schoolPrenatal developmentInfanthoodStimulation|
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| What is Underachievement? |
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| The Problem Very few people work to capacity but some children with considerable academic ability fail at subjects in which they should succeed. This is only partly understood and should certainly be a matter of great concern for parents and the education system. Teachers often mistakenly assumed that under achievement is a simple problem. This is why one often see on school reports dreaded stereotyping comments such as 'Not working to potential', 'Lazy', or worse still, 'Dumb' but in disguised terms. Parents and students alike are in turn led to accept these as the reasons for poor academic performance. After all, being lazy and being dumb are the two labels for students with poor grades ever since time immemorial. They are thus often content not to look for alternative explanations. If your child has poor grades but is not actually dumb, then he must have been somewhat lazy, so you're tempted to push him to work harder. If you noticed that he is actually hard working, then he must be dumber than he looks; but oh so fortunate for you, nobody has yet noticed this dark secret, so you'll probably get private tuition for him anyway and push him to work some more for compensation before others begin take note. Studies on the incidence of under achieved gifted children have indicated a range varying between 25-75% within the western world's education and cultural settings. Two types of under achievement have been identified. The first is where children only achieve on occasions, apparently when the mood takes them. More likely, their refusal to work or put themselves forward for selection in a team can be linked with some emotional crisis that suddenly erupts: a relationship may break up; a family problem may arise; a personality clash may develop with a specific teacher. Generally, these children have few long-term problems if they can get immediate help to overcome their difficulty and their progress at school is closely monitored. These children are known as situational underachievers. The second type of underachiever is a much more serious problem for the school, the home and particularly for themselves. The chronic underachiever has many characteristics that give him a label hard to remove. Over 80 percent of identified underachievers are boys! They may become aggressive, giving vent to their frustration by causing trouble or they may become sulky and withdrawn and refuse to develop their talent. For girls there has been a conditioning and stereotyping to accept a lesser role in society. For a very long time, less importance was attached to girls' education. Girls were expected to be interested in the arts and humanities but not in more scientific subjects. Many underachieving girls have fallen victim to the expectations of society and of their families. Stereotyping roles for girls can lead to their being forced away from areas in which they have talent or a deep interest, into conventionally female areas. The implementation of non-sexist education policies in Hong Kong will certainly be of value. Social changes, however, take a long time. Signs and Symptoms Commonly encountered characteristics of underachievers may include the following : are often impulsive with poor personal judgment and adjustment abilities; have poor test results at school and no hobbies or interests at home; have a low self-image, often displaying distrust, indifference, lack of concern and/or hostility; feel victimized or helpless and may not accept any responsibility for themselves or their actions; feel rejected by their family and resist attempts to help by parents or teachers; choose friends with similar negative attitudes to school, show no leadership qualities and may be less mature than their peers; have little motivation with poor study habits; may refuse to do homework or leave much work incomplete; either cannot plan for the future or set goals well below their true ability or potential. The Cause Experts are divided on the causes of under achievement. Most information is based on research in urban schools in the United States. There may be regional differences but one thing is outstandingly clear : underachievers are made and not born. It is the child's choice to underachieve. We have to look at both sides of the education coin : the school and the home. The pressure on children, especially at secondary school, to conform to the mediocre often has more influence than anything parents or teachers can say. Fortunately, negative peer pressure is usually a passing phase. As the pressure to succeed at the Higher School Certificate increases, so too does the realization that one way to a happy and successful future is to work hard to obtain a particular job or to gain a place at university or college. Another cause of under achievement can be family background. There can be difficulties when some members of the family perceive a bright child is showing off. If a child is frequently on the move, for one reason or another, it can mean that he is never in a school long enough for any talent to be recognized by himself or his teachers, let alone developed and nurtured. It's quite possible for people with the potential to do exceptionally well, to go through life without realizing that they have a gift which can, and should, be developed. Research done in America considers the major cause of under achievement among the talented to be emotional disturbance between parent and child. Children like this are angry at the parents for some reason and vent their anger and frustration in many ways. They feel they must hurt their parents by failing at school and not allowing them to take pride in their achievements. There are several reasons for this conflict : A common situation is a parent who believes that he or she is encouraging the child, but who always wants more than the child does. With the best of intentions, the parent is sending out messages that the child cannot think well enough on his own. As a result, the child learns not to trust his own judgment. When conflict exists between the parents when one parent (often the father) is a stern perfectionist and the other tries to compensate for this, the child starts to achieve to please dad, but then feels pressure from mum which carries the message : 'You don't need to work so hard!'. The child becomes confused trying to please both parents. Sometimes the family has unrealistic, perfectionist expectations and the child equates his/her own worth with doing well at school rather than simply being an individual. There might be a negative relationship with a father who feels threatened by his son surpassing him and being more successful at school than he was. Some parents are 'pushy' and try to relive their own lives through their children and force them along at too fast a pace, causing stress and unhappiness. Such pushy parents cannot accept that their children are only children. The child's only defense is to deliberately fail at school. A vicious circle like this can only be broken if the parents learn to understand what is happening. The role model that a parent displays might not be acceptable to the child and lead to his being constantly embarrassed and having a poor self esteem. Any of these problems is likely to create a poor self-image. Fearing success so much, the child creates failure. Such a child prefers not to complete work rather than be awarded a grade that he or she feels will not reach the parents' expectations. Suggestions Chronic under achievement problems will not be solved quickly in a week, a month or even a year. It will take time, patience and co-operation. One will feel frustrated, sometimes angry, but one must persevere. Ask yourself these questions : Have I given my child the impression that I want him or her to achieve to please me? Have I placed too much emphasis on the importance of accomplishments instead of caring for him/her? Do I react badly if my child doesn't do well or is uninterested in things I want him/her to be interested in ? Do I undermine my child's confidence, making him/her feel guilty as he/she becomes older and more independent? How do I react when my child feels angry? Do I use sarcasm or emphasize those things he/she may not yet be good at? Do I set an appropriate role model myself? Answering these questions may put the relationship between you and your child into a balanced perspective. Once you have found the cause of the problem, the earlier a new approach starts the more effective it will be. It is essential to build the child's self-confidence and independence. A few simple things about the house can so wonders. Let the child make real decisions and live with the consequences. You may wish to guide, but allow the child to make the final decision. Let your child decide how to manage his/her pocket money, choose their own lunch or decide what to wear. The child may make mistakes but that's how people learn. Encourage the child to see him or herself as a unique individual with a valuable contribution to make to family and society. Never take away the thing or things that a child loves and succeeds in. This may be piano, sport, play or some other leisure activity. To say that a child can't do this until there has been some improvement at school is a sure recipe for disaster, and the resulting sense of deprivation and frustration will lead to even less achievement. Saying things like, 'You have brains, why don't you use them?' reinforces feelings of inadequacy. Don't lecture or nag a child. Reason is always preferable. Don't pressure the child into doing something because you think it's a good idea. Don't set artificial times for work to be done at all costs and make the child feel that you are being a martyr. This reinforces the idea of failure, not only at school but at home as well. Be more natural in your interest and enthusiasm. Don't keep checking up on the child's progress. This seems to the child that her or she is irresponsible and not in control of life. It also implies a damaging lack of trust. Learn to trust the child's judgment. A talented child will at some point make the right decision on problems which have to be faced. Often the child is learning about life. Get used to saying things which make it clear that the child's feelings are important and that you value his or her opinions. Explain that it's all right to feel angry but that it must be expressed in acceptable ways. Your relationship with your child must be based on mutual respect. It often helps an underachieving child to point out achievable goals for them. Put the goals in some priority order, but be flexible. Guide, don't push. Negative peer group pressure may be counteracted with gently persuasive arguments that point to the adult advantages, financial and social, that reference can get you a good job which in turn can give the adult later on, success, a car and money for good clothes and food, independence and self-respect. It helps if your child's school has a learning environment that is flexible, open, accepting and challenging. Give underachievers the opportunity to work at their area of ability and make sure someone the child respects is available when help is needed. Isolation is a fine fertilizer for under achievement. Children will not turn into achievers overnight; it takes time and careful planning of an integrated program across the curriculum. Children who are underachieving should be allowed to study the basics through areas of interest or expertise. At all stages the parents should be involved. If both parents work, it is still possible to form an effective partnership between home and school by communicating after hours. Finally, if only children have the opportunity to establish goals, they would have a much greater chance of fulfilling their potential. Secondary schools for example can offer career and vocational guidance as early as possible. |
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