The Underachieving Gifted Child

Why are some gifted children willing to tackle new challenges whereas others seem insecure or uninterested? Why do some gifted students achieve while others become caught in a cycle of underachievement? Are there strategies teachers and parents can implement that promote an achievement-oriented attitude? The Underachieving Gifted Child: Recognizing, Understanding, and Reversing Underachievement answers these important questions. Although there are many factors that contribute to achievement, achievement-oriented students exhibit four key traits: they believe that they have the skills to perform well, they expect that they can succeed, they believe what they are doing is meaningful, and they set realistic expectations and implement strategies to successfully complete their goals. This book offers specific strategies to help increase student achievement by improving students' attitudes in these four important areas.

Del Siegle, Ph.D., is an associate professor and teaching fellow in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut, where he teaches graduate courses in gifted education, creativity, and research design. He is president of the National Association of Gifted Children and also serves on the board of directors of The Association for the Gifted (CEC-TAG). He authors a technology column for Gifted Child Today. Siegle's research interests include Web-based instruction, student motivation, and teacher bias in the identification of students for gifted programs. He currently serves as the coeditor of the Journal of Advanced Academics.

Acknowledgments Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 What Is Underachievement? Chapter 3 Characteristics of Underachievers Chapter 4 Dweck's Mindsets: Recognizing Effort and Ability Chapter 5 Addressing Issues of Perfectionism Chapter 6 Rimm's Trifocal Model Chapter 7 Achievement Orientation Model: Students' Beliefs That Regulate Their Motivation to Achieve Chapter 8 Self-Efficacy: Increasing Students' Confidence to Learn Chapter 9 Goal Valuation: Making Learning More Meaningful Chapter 10 Environmental Perceptions: Building Trust Relationships Chapter 11 Developing Self-Regulation and Study Skills Chapter 12 Putting It All Together References Appendix The National Association for Gifted Children's Position Paper on Giftedness About the Author