Personality and Other Characteristics of the Underachieving Gifted Pupil.

The study compared gifted achievers (N=50) and underachievers (N=50) with each other and with average ability achievers and underachievers. Subjects were obtained from the total standard 10 Afrikaans speaking cohort in the Orange Free State (Republic of South Africa). Ability/achievement discrepancy scores were calculated for the entire cohort, and students with the highest positive discrepancy scores were compared with students with the highest negative discrepancy scores. Also examined were academic achievement, study habits and attitudes, personality, school affect and academic self-concept, and a bibliographic self-report. Among findings were the following: gifted underachievers were more quilt prone and less self-assured, more casual, socially less controlled, emotionally less stable, more submissive, and less assertive than gifted achievers. Both average groups were more timid and less venturesome than the gifted groups with both groups of underachievers being more timid and less venturesome than achievers. Substantial differences between achieving and underachieving gifted pupils were found in all study habit and attitude variables except study time, suggesting less efficient study methods by underachieving students. Work methods of both gifted groups were superior to those of average students. Gifted underachievers had a less favorable attitude toward school and a poorer academic self-concept. (DB)