Factors Associated with Underachievement in Seventh-Grade Children

Twenty-three seventh-grade students were studied to identify emotional, social, or cognitive variables that might contribute to the lower than predicted scholastic performance of underachievers. All students in this research received high scores on the California Achievement Test (90-100). The students who were designated as achievers attained all A’s as final grades for the previous year, whereas those designated as underachievers received grades in the B to C range. The two groups, achiever and underachiever, were evaluated and compared through student, parent, and teacher interviews and questionnaires. The results of this study revealed that underachievers are less self-confident, less socially and emotionally mature, less able to focus on one concern at a time, less accurate in their perceptions about themselves and their work, and less hardworking.