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A case study of psycho-social factors affecting underachievement in an independent school
Author
Goh, Elaine Eng Lian
Supervisor
Lam, Peter Tit Loong
Abstract
Recent educational research has shown that underachievement is now increasingly prominent as educators and educationists concern themselves with questions regarding the loss of potential in students who do not perform optimally in the school system. This study aims at an in-depth qualitative analysis of three psychosocial factors that research literature has suggested to be major influences in underachievement for high-ability female underachievers in an Independent (Express Stream Secondary) school. These three factors are the Personal Factors, the Family Factors and the Peer Factors.
The definition of underachievement and the underachiever has been as varied as the definition of achievement and of the measures of achievement. After defining the parameters used in this study, underachievement was found to be generally time and subject-specific rather than a generic and stable description of academic performance.
A common trait in the Personal Factors that contributed to underachievement were a high level of dependency on others for emotional and intellectual support. This was generally associated with an external locus of control, leading to low self-concept and poor working strategies such as the extensive reliance on the Surface Approach to learning and poor study techniques. The underachiever tended to display poor coping strategies such as test anxiety, a fear of failure, a fear of success, poor time management and a tendency to be distracted while on task. Some underachievers tended to display perfectionist tendencies and a number were introverted but all were procrastinators who tended to be passive and conforming in their personalities. Although possessed of high educational aspirations, they also tended to be unrealistic in their career options.
The Family Factors which impinged on academic achievement included a trend towards families with absent fathers and dominant mothers. There was generally low parental expectations, except that the degree of parental press varied with birth order -- more was expected of the oldest child underachiever than the younger or middle-child underachiever. There was a significantly high proportion of oldest child and youngest child in this sample. There was some indication of sibling rivalry with same-sexed close-aged older siblings, but all the underachievers were found to have been pampered at some point in their lives. They were able to manipulate one or both their parents because of inconsistent or oppositional parenting styles. The parents' educational qualifications and social economic status were not significant as influences towards underachievement but the amount of home support in terms of parental/sibling help and tuition were found to be positively correlated with underachievement. Most of the underachievers were tutored in Mathematics, Chinese (Second Language) and Science/Chemistry.
An analysis of Peer Factors revealed that underachievers tended to be emotional and prone to mood disturbances which affected their inclination to study. Friends were needed for support in personal problems and helped to push the underachiever to do work by their own academic inclinations and study habits. Peer loyalty and peer bonding was very strong among underachievers, who tended to socialise more than non-underachievers, spending less time on homework and studying.
Intervention strategies to reverse the underachievement syndrome must actively involve the self, the parents and the peers. The basic approach would involve the empowerment of the individual by inculcating or enhancing a sense of self-efficacy and self-determination in his/her life-goals. This is operationalised in terms of enhancing the self-concept, developing an internal locus of control, teaching study skills which incorporates meta-cognitive processes and a problem-solving approach that includes self-evaluation. Interventions on other levels would include curriculum modification, mentoring, classroom strategies, parent involvement and learning and coping strategies.
These findings should interest not only the individual learner who is grappling with the sense of frustrated effort experienced in underachievement, but also parents, schools and policy-makers, especially in an excellence-driven and highly competitive society like Singapore.
The definition of underachievement and the underachiever has been as varied as the definition of achievement and of the measures of achievement. After defining the parameters used in this study, underachievement was found to be generally time and subject-specific rather than a generic and stable description of academic performance.
A common trait in the Personal Factors that contributed to underachievement were a high level of dependency on others for emotional and intellectual support. This was generally associated with an external locus of control, leading to low self-concept and poor working strategies such as the extensive reliance on the Surface Approach to learning and poor study techniques. The underachiever tended to display poor coping strategies such as test anxiety, a fear of failure, a fear of success, poor time management and a tendency to be distracted while on task. Some underachievers tended to display perfectionist tendencies and a number were introverted but all were procrastinators who tended to be passive and conforming in their personalities. Although possessed of high educational aspirations, they also tended to be unrealistic in their career options.
The Family Factors which impinged on academic achievement included a trend towards families with absent fathers and dominant mothers. There was generally low parental expectations, except that the degree of parental press varied with birth order -- more was expected of the oldest child underachiever than the younger or middle-child underachiever. There was a significantly high proportion of oldest child and youngest child in this sample. There was some indication of sibling rivalry with same-sexed close-aged older siblings, but all the underachievers were found to have been pampered at some point in their lives. They were able to manipulate one or both their parents because of inconsistent or oppositional parenting styles. The parents' educational qualifications and social economic status were not significant as influences towards underachievement but the amount of home support in terms of parental/sibling help and tuition were found to be positively correlated with underachievement. Most of the underachievers were tutored in Mathematics, Chinese (Second Language) and Science/Chemistry.
An analysis of Peer Factors revealed that underachievers tended to be emotional and prone to mood disturbances which affected their inclination to study. Friends were needed for support in personal problems and helped to push the underachiever to do work by their own academic inclinations and study habits. Peer loyalty and peer bonding was very strong among underachievers, who tended to socialise more than non-underachievers, spending less time on homework and studying.
Intervention strategies to reverse the underachievement syndrome must actively involve the self, the parents and the peers. The basic approach would involve the empowerment of the individual by inculcating or enhancing a sense of self-efficacy and self-determination in his/her life-goals. This is operationalised in terms of enhancing the self-concept, developing an internal locus of control, teaching study skills which incorporates meta-cognitive processes and a problem-solving approach that includes self-evaluation. Interventions on other levels would include curriculum modification, mentoring, classroom strategies, parent involvement and learning and coping strategies.
These findings should interest not only the individual learner who is grappling with the sense of frustrated effort experienced in underachievement, but also parents, schools and policy-makers, especially in an excellence-driven and highly competitive society like Singapore.
Date Issued
1995
Call Number
LC4661 Goh
Date Submitted
1995