Gifted underachievement: The causes of gifted underachievement, and interventions to reverse this pattern

Abstract

Giftedness is generally seen as the basis of superior academic performance. Therefore, the spectre of the gifted underachiever leaves educators scratching their heads. Despite being widely observed—a Victorian inquiry found that up to 50 per cent of gifted students do not perform at the level of which they are capable—the underlying causes of gifted underachievement are not well understood. In this article, I integrate evidence collected from interviews and from a literature review to devise a schematic for understanding gifted underachievement. I argue that giftedness is distinct from the ability to achieve. Instead, the development of gifts into talents is a continuous process, which can only occur if certain intrapersonal and environmental catalysts are present. With this understanding, I evaluate interventions schools use to reverse this trend, and analyse why certain elements of the interventions are particularly effective. I find motivation, the influence of peers and self-esteem to be particularly important catalysts. Following this, I make several recommendations as to how we can optimise learning environments to ensure these catalysts are present.