An investigation of the paradox of underachievement among gifted black students1

This study examined determinants of underachievement perceived by 148 gifted and non‐gifted Black fifth‐ and sixth‐grade students in an urban school district. Students were defined as achievers or underachievers based on their grade point averages and effort, and then compared relative to their perceptions and attitudes. Social, psychological, and cultural determinants of underachievement among Black students were explored in three different academic programs (gifted, above‐average, and average). Findings suggest that psychological factors and peer pressures played the greatest role in underachievement among a majority of the Black students. The data also indicate the existence of a paradox of underachievement whereby the Black underachievers students sampled support the achievement ideology but do not work to their expected potential. Students' responses to open‐ended questions help shed light on this complex phenomenon. Recommendations are offered for educators of gifted Black students.