Underachievement in the verbally gifted: Implications for pedagogy

An ecological-systems view is presented describing academic underachievement in highly verbal, gifted adolescents. The highly verbal are considered to be those children who show a precocious ability to comprehend, analyze, and synthesize written material, as well as an attitudinal predisposition toward less structured, more creative verbal tasks. Underachievement is discussed in terms of global versus analytic processing styles, intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation, verbal versus quantitative interests and abilities, and the concomitant achievement patterns. It is argued that a unique pattern of interests, motives, and cognitive styles results in a differential pattern of achievement for these youth. Underachievement is viewed as a mismatch between the school's curriculum and testing procedures and these children's unique needs and stylistic approaches toward learning. The implications for psychoeducational assessment, pedagogy, and counseling are discussed.