To day I am going to highlight some points for those students who can

achieve good grads but due to one reason or another they lag behind.

INTRODUCTION

MOTIVATIING THE UNDER ACHIEVERS

DEFINITION:

Under achievement can be simply defined is academic

performance that is significantly lower then predicted based on some
reliable evidence of learning potential.

Teacher report that Asif had a reputation for being a non worker
student. He would sit and daydream, chew pencils & rulers, cutup
paper any thing but put his name on a paper. He was pushed through
grade one into by the request of his parents and thankfulness of his
teachers. But in grade three in his early test he had god 57 marks out
of 60. Asif teacher agree that he is bright but lazy. He never finishes
his work in class and hands in incomplete assignment to his teachers.
I toke to his father who is highly disturbed by the boys lack of
devotion. When the father talk with him about his result card, Asif
just say that I passed did not I. what these examples depict? If we will
apply these examples in our class rooms we will find that each and
everyone of us face the same problem in our class rooms. We deal with
a group of students who can attain higher grades but due to one
reason or another they lag behind.
They somehow can not achieve grade. A although they possess the
ability. We can name such group of students as
“UNDERACHIEVERS”.

To day we will highlight those facts, steps through which we can

dig out their abilities, we can find out their shortcomings, means and
ways through which we will overcomes those problems.
 CAUSES

1. TROUBLE AT HOME

There are some homes in which there is stressed environment either

due to
a) No mutual understanding exists between
parents.
b) Economic instability.
c) Lack of literacy rate
d) Conflict between husband and wife.

i) NO MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING EXISTS BETWEEN

PARENTS:

In some cases it has been observed that no mutual

understanding between parents exists which leads to distraction.
As a result the child suffers at the receiving end.

ii) ECONOMIC INTABILITY:

Economic instability also discourages the healthy

environment of home where the child becomes a direct effectee
and results in inferiority complex which paves the way for
blocking the mind of the child.

iii) LACK OF LITERACY RATE:

Uneducated parents play zero role in the development of a

child’s mind. Because now a days we can see that the syllabi of
different classes is too much tough and the child need help in
their home, where the parents are available, if the parents are
educated then they will help him and if in case the parents are
 uneducated then the child will suffer. For them ignorance is
blessing, but for a child ignorance is disaster.

iv) CONFLICT BETWEEN HUSBAND AND WIFE:

Domestical problem conflict between parents and

suffocated environment at home leads a child to state of
helplessness which further distorts the healthy mind of the child.
In such homes there considerable stress and strain, so as a result
the students are emotionally upset and fail to adjust in the school
or college.

(2) POOR PHYSICAL HEALTH:-

Poor physical health marks immaturity which leads to

underachievement. His low efficiency results in physical problems like
hearing, vision and metabolism. So it requires check up.

Sitting at the back, vision of chalkboard is not clear, Hearing

power is affected, short sized/stature etc.

(3) CRITICISM BY TEACHERS & PARENTS

Some parents & teachers repeat students “A’ is lazy, lacks

persistency that label is engraved in his mind and he never tries to
work hard. Criticizing & complaining may help you let off steam, but
will do more harm than good. If your child suffers from low self-
esteem, your verbal attacks will crush his already fragile sense of self.

Giving advice may appear more gracious, but it usually just as

in effective as criticism. Especially for high school students even a
simple suggestion which begins with “Why don’t you try” implies to
an adolescent that he is inferior to you because he did not think of
that on his own.
 Comparison to other brothers & sisters can be extremely hurtful
and destructive e.g. “Why can’t you do this work like your sister
does”? Is the ultimate put-down to any academically struggling child?

Even comparison to yourself will also backfire. Statements like

“I loved maths in high school”, “I did my homework the first thing
when I came home from school” and “I worked hard at school but felt
satisfied with my results”. Only serve to discourage weaker students.
Such comments make children feel that they must live up to your
standards which may be unrealistic and unreachable for them.

(4) LACK OF STUDY HABBITS

Many students find it impossible to settle down to work, when

they are supposed to be studying; they sit and watch T.V. listen to the
music or videogames. They lack power of concentration.

In school level they had made high marks without doing any
serious work but in college they underestimate the same amount of
work necessary to secure good marks.

(5) FOUNDATION S NOT STRONG

Underachievers, while back at school, show non-serious attitude

towards their studies, class-participation which with the passage of
time lead them to a state where they become totally helpless.
Particularly when they get promoted to college level. The student will
not excel, in a college if the basic concept were not clear: for example,
how a student will perform well in mathematics if he did not know the
basic formula.

(6) LACK OF PURPOSE:-

Lack in choice of career if decision is made it is a result of

parental pressure against his aptitude and interests. Some parents put
pressure on their children to opt for a career which sometimes
turnout against the aptitude of their children and bears fruitless
results.

(7) LESS STUDIOUS PARENTS:-

Less studious parents are least Bothered about the studies of

their children. High achiever parents engaged their children for the
continuing studies. They take their children to galleries, museum,
library to uplift their mental growth. There parents provide good role
models for their children.

(8) LACK OF MOTIVATION:-

Many highly gifted and creative children have learning style that
is incompatible with prevailing instructional methods. Furthermore,
the level of instruction may be inappropriate for these students and
the restrictions on learning in the classroom discourage their full
participation.

(9) VALUES CONFLICT:-

Students may not incline/prove to participate in school, because

of conflicts between values of the college, the values by the individuals
and the culture from which they come.

SOLUTIONS AND REMEDIES

Strategies for the teachers to motivate the underachiever

There are some strategies for teacher to motivate the underachiever:-

1. MAINTAINING CONTACTS:-

Maintain contact between home & school. Communicate in

numerous ways parents teacher meeting, voice mail, cell phone, email
etc. We are in the IT age, take advantage of new technologies as you
communicate with parents.

2. TO ENCOURAGE READING:-

Encourage more reading and less T.V. Videos, computer games

& surfing the internet at home.

3. IDENTIFICATION OF AREA OF INTEREST:-

Help underachievers identify their areas of strength. Most

underachievers are painfully aware of their weakness, but they don’t
discuss with the teacher. Notice these strengths and work to enhance
them.

4. IMPROVING ASSESSMENT/AN EVALUATION

CRITERIA:-

Use various form of assessments. The institution should not be

solely (test prep-oriented institutions). Assessing learning can be done
as many ways. Underachievers are not good test takers. Try
performance assessments. For example.

5. LESS RELYING ON COMPUTER AND

CALCULATOR:-

Make sure your lessons give the opportunity for students to use
higher level thinking skills. Underachievers are often bored with low
level thinking yet may be great problem solvers when given more
complex and challenging problems.

6. ACTIVITY BASE LEARNING:-

Use mind-based learning theories to develop interdisciplinary,

integrated teaching units.
 Use outside resources & college staff to offer specialized courses
on students’ interest. Sometimes an interesting short course will be
just the thing to give an underachiever a successful college experience
and motivation to do more.

Include classroom activities that increase skill in memorization.

Memorization successfully increases self-confidence & builds the base
for other types of College success.

7. CATEGORIZE STUDENTS IN TEAMS:-

Team each underachieving student with an achieving partner of

equal ability. This works well because the achieving partner will
usually encourage the underachiever. Don’t pair achievers &
underachievers of unequal ability.

STRATEGIES FOR PARENTS

1. Don’t put down and criticize while dealing with your child.

2. Emphasize what your child has learnt from an assignment or

activity, even if mistakes were made. “Failures are the stepping stone
to success”. All of us learn a great deal from our failures and
mistakes. Help your child understand this.

3. Be aware of times your underachiever is trying to manipulate

you. Underachievers are particularly adept at manipulating adults &
experiencing success in this behaviour only makes underachievement
worse.

4. Don’t use threat that you can not carry out! This is always an
opportunity for your child to manipulate you. Be aware of your
child’s area of interest and build on these. Use success in an interest
outside of college as encourage for success in college. Share your child
special interest with the teacher. He or she may be able to these to
motivate your child.
5. Don’t overload your child with activities! Some students are
underachievers simply because they have to much to do & too many
demands on their time. One or two extra curricular activities a week
are enough for most of the children.

6. Promote a love of reading in your home. Designate one night a

week as “No T.V. night” & have a reading night instead. Make the
most inviting place in your home a “Reading Area” where the only
thing that can be done there is reading.

7. Discover your child academic weakness. Brainstorm ways to

make learning fun in this area. Create a game or song that makes
learning easier.

8. Encourage your child to teach things he or she knows to

someone younger. Find a senior child to work with your child in an
area of interest or in a difficult subject.

9. Set aside a study time in your home every night. No activities

other than study be allowed during study time.