Motivated Underachiever
From WikEd
== Defined == 
While the term, "motivated underachiever" may seem like an oxymoron,it is commonly believed that underachievers actually strive to do poorly and get mediocre grades. We've often heard the terms, 'not working up to potential', and 'has the ability to do better'. According to Mandel and Marcus, (1988,1995),the student whom we think of as unmotivated is actually motivated
to perform poorly because they want to avoid success. These students are afraid of achievement and want to avoid responsibility.
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Characteristics
Sander and Marcus (1988, 1995) contend that this is the most common type of underachiever and therefore it encompasses a large number of personalities with many different characteristics. Generally, however, the motivated underachiever is one who is intelligent, cordial, and agreeable. They tend to "coast" through life lacking a sense of purpose and meaning. They may also be described as extroverted with low aspirations. They may be anxious or tense, depressed or pessimistic, or even rebellious or hostile, but they are not usually so. More typically, they are students who are nearly invisible in class and wish to remain so. Despite their apparent lack of motivation, Mandel and Marcus (1988) characterize them as being "content to spend hours in activities such as sports, music, computers, tinkering with machinery and automobiles, or simply in social activities" (255-256). The researchers note that their lack of motivation towards school reflects their desire to avoid success and responsibility and not a lack of interest. Thus, "I'm just not interested in math" is just an excuse to explain their unconscious desire to remain dependant and to keep others' expectations of them low. Their tendency toward particular types of excuses in fact is one element that Mandel suggests one should use to diagnose the motivated underachiever accurately. Excuses that place blame outside of themselves are the most telling. Vague responses that lead adults to interpret what they want to hear are another mark of the motivated underachiever. Finally, even dependancy on the premise that they are incapable and unintelligent (even proud of it) is a clue that the student is a motivated underachiever. The extroverted nature of the motivated underachiever as described by Mandel (1988) should not be confused with a social personality. It is merely a marked reluctance to reflect on themselves or set goals.
Dealing with the Motivated Underachiever
The fact that there is virtually no sources designed for teachers for dealing with motivated underachievers suggests that most educators buy into what Mandel (1995) calls "The Underachievement Myth". That is, that these academic problem underachievers are simply lazy or unmotivated and that if they could just be made more interested in the subjects, they would suddenly begin to achieve (1). Mandel (1988) being a psychologist really only addresses how a therapist would deal with a motivated underachiever. His other work, "Could Do Better," offers similar help for parents; however, he does not seem to provide teachers with any help. The basis for Mandel's approach basically attempts to cut through the self-delusional world of the motivated underachiever, systematically eliminating excuses and providing self-reflecting and goal-setting practices in order to have the student break down and recognize their abilities and basically themselves more accurately. His approach, which is designed for therapists, is impractical for educators insofar as it focuses significant attention to an individual with no time frame for "recovery". His book, The Psychology of Underachievement, summarizes the approach: (1) Set an agreed-upon goal, (2) take detailed stock, (3) focus on specific problem areas and isolate each excuse within each area, (4) link each excuse to its natural consequence, (5) request solutions for each stumbling block or hindrance, (6) call for action, (7) follow up on actions called for, (8) keep repeating steps 3-7 with one different excuse each time, and (9) shift to a nondirective approach. (283) At first glance, it may seem that this approach attempts to eliminate excuses in an attempt to have the motivated underachiever become more purposeful and effective in their school-related activities. In fact, Mandel admits that this is not the case. The motivated underachiver, because he or she relies on the self-delusion that they are unable to help themselves, must see their excuses and ultimately their self-delusion for what it is. They then reach an epiphany about themselves which should help make the motivated underahiever more self-reflective and achievement oriented. This still leaves the educator without much practical guidance, unless there is some way the teacher can apply some of the principles involved to help make their students more self-reflective, goal-minded, and achievement-orientated. It may be more important for educators to understand what researchers suggest will not work. Mandel (1995) believes that the traditional approaches based on the underachievement myth are entirely ineffective. These include rewards and punishment, trying to motivate them with "more interesting" content, helping them with work to give them a taste of success, or providing individualized tutoring. If nothing else, one should realize that the traditional approaches to dealing with students who are motivated underachivers are part of the problem and feed the underachivement myth.
Suggestions
I feel that a motivated underachiever would find some aspect of an art class interesting. Art feeds the multiple intelligence(s) and is very open-ended, allowing for students to find an area in which they are successful, or at least interested enough to participate in. If a motivated underachiever is interested in something outside of school, they are more than likely only able to bring in that aspect in their work in an art class. -Jessica Arnold
Reading about the Motivated Underachiever made me think about a meeting we had at school this week. Our principal showed us scores from the SAT. These scores were all very high - PHS. Then the principal told us that this student is failing almost every subject. None of the staff knew who the student was- the principal did not give that information. We discussed things that could be done and what the student could do. It was talked about how the student may be bored in school. Then we talked about how being bored is just another excuse. What can you do to have this student find some success in the classroom? Nichole Jessup
I think that motivated underachiever's need to be hooked into something that interests them and they need to have some power to choose what they are doing with their time at school. Since they are fulfilled by their role as underachiever, many ways to reach them need to be tried in order to help them find a role that is equally compellling.
It's much easier said than done but I think the teacher, especially in primary school grades needs to find something that interests the student in learning. There are so many resources available that it is not the daunting task it once was. Rhonda Hall
I think in general it is important to have some democracy in the classroom; if students feel a part of what is going on and the decisions to be made, they are much more likely to participate than if they feel they are being pushed through a rigid system. I think this is a helpful starting point for all students, and will be especially good for this group of motivated underachievers. -- Emily Cox
In the elementary classrooms the teacher might start with roles assigned specifically for them so that they have contact with the teacher more personally. I wonder if these students need one person to identify with then they can build from their. It is the human contact that motivates.
I have had a few students in my class that would clearly fall into this category. It is like they are determined to get a D. When their grade raises to a C they immediately do little to no work for the next week until it drops again. When it is at an F suddenly they are spurred to life and get an A on every assignment and test until it is a D again. I spend quite a bit of time talking to these individuals. THey know they could get an A, but they claim not to care. I often think of the saying "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink!" L. Gowler
I have two very unmotivated students in one of my seventh grade classes. Out of the 120 students I see in a day, these two anger me the most. They are highly intelligent and quite capable of being "straight A" students. They purposely do not do their homework. They start out each quarter by doing the first 3 assignments and then quit after that. They earn A's on their tests, but homework makes up about 50% of the grade in my class and they cannot pass on tests alone. I iniated a class movie day at the end of the first semester. To attend, a student could only have 3 missing assignments for the entire quarter. If the student did not meet this criteria, he or she had to go to study hall and take an exam while the rest of the class got to have snacks and watch a movie. This did not motivate my two "slackers" at all. The motivation they now have is the fact that if they do not pass the 2nd semester, they will be retained or have to attend summer school. Funny thing how that works. They have both been turning in most of their assignments this third quarter. Jodi Herrmann
At our high school, we use the somewhat controversial Saxon Mathematics series of textbooks. Besides the studies that show the effectiveness of this series, I have an observation about this textbook that goes right along with motivating the underachiever. In math there are two particular types of students that I would like to compare. These would be the (A) student that gets math very easily but doesn't like to work and the (B) student that really doesn't get math but works really hard. Using a traditional textbook with units and chapters, student A is able to listen in class and not do the homework and still perform well enough on tests to earn a good grade. Student B struggles with the material, attempts the homework but really needs more time to let it soak in and struggles with every test. With Saxon, every lesson presents a new topic but every homework assignment includes a few of the new problems and lots of review problems. Over time, student A is not doing homework and thus not practicing the review questions and when the test comes this student does ok on the new stuff but is rusty on the review material. Student B, however, has been constantly doing the review questions and has had plenty of time to let it sink in and is pretty good at it and improves their grade. As a teacher, I like to reward hard work and let the kids know that hard work turns into long term learning. R Grunloh
References
Mandel, Harvey P. and Sander I. Marcus with Loral Dean (1995). "Could Do Better". New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Mandel, Harvey P. and Sander I. Marcus (1988). The Psychology of Underachievment. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
