Personality Styles Of Chronic Academic Underachievers
Not all academic underachievers are alike. The problem of under achievement is a symptom - like a stomach ache - that can have many different causes, each of which requires a different solution.
Consider a random sample of, say, 100 students (from about 3rd grade through graduate school) whom we would identify as “underachievers.” If we carefully assess each one, we will find that there are many different underlying causes. These can include ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), LD (Learning Disability), various medical problems, ability issues, significant emotional or psychological problems, situational problems (such as parental illness or divorce), academic problems (such as not being prepared for certain courses, or not having effective study skills), and others. A student can also underachieve because the orientation and teaching style of the school is not consistent with student’s learning style or cognitive pattern of strengths and weaknesses.