后进生英文资料3.docx
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后进生英文资料3
ARECLS,2009,Vol.6,84-102.
84
UNDERACHIEVINGLEARNERS:
CANTHEYLEARNATALL?
OGBONNIACHUKWU-ETU
Abstract
Somestudentsatthesecondaryandhighschoollevelsinwesterncountriesdropout
havingbeenlabelledunderachievers,eventhoughteacherssometimesfailtoestablish
whethersuchstudentsunderachieveinaparticularsubjectorinallsubjects.However,
opinionsaredividedamongeducationistsregardingthedefinitionandcausesof
underachievement.Thispaperaddressessomecontemporaryissuesassociatedwith
underachievement.Therationaleforthestudyistoidentifythegroupsoflearners
referredtoasunderachieversandtofindoutiftheirconditioncanbeimprovedwith
thehelpofteachers,psychologistsandparents.Categorizingunderachieversinto
differenttypeshashadanimpactinprofferingsolutions,especiallyinthecaseofsocalledgiftedunderachieversaphrasewhichotherwiseappearstobean“oxymoronor
educationalenigma”(Barbara2005).Thequestionofwhetherornotunderachieving
learnerscanstilllearnisansweredintheaffirmativeafterconsultingtheliteratureon
counsellingandmotivation.
Keywords:
underachievers,students,learning,motivation,counselling.ARECLS,2009,Vol.6,84-102.
85
1.Introduction
Therehasbeenageneralconcerninrecenttimesintheeducationalarena
regardingtheacademicperformanceofunderachievingstudents.Barbara(2005)
concludedthattheprocessesofdefiningunderachievement,identifyinggifted
underachievingstudents,explainingunderachievement,andsuggestingappropriate
interventionsremaincontroversialissues.Thispaperseekstofindoutif
underachievingstudentscanlearn,andifnotwhatcanbedonetoimprovetheir
situation.
Anotherpurposeofthisreviewistodeterminepossiblecausesof
underachievementamongstudents;thisisunderpinnedbytheassumptionthata
combinationoffactorsbothinthehomeandatschoolcancauseunderachievement
(Sousa2002).Asidefromschoolorfamilyinfluence,Gallagher(1991)contended
thatpersonal/psychologicalfactorscouldalsocauseunderachievementinstudents.
Thepresentworkthereforefocusesonthestudentsthemselves,bearinginmindthe
factthatastudent’scognitivefunctioningwilltoalargeextentaffectperformanceat
school.
Thesubsequentdiscussionisdividedintofoursectionstogiveanunderstanding
ofwhatreallyconstitutesunderachievement.Section2explainstherationaleforthe
review,definesunderachievement,andalsoidentifiesdifferenttypesof
underachieversandtheircharacteristics.Section3thenaddressesthepossiblecauses
ofunderachievement.ARECLS,2009,Vol.6,84-102.
86
Whilesection4providesuggestionsforinterventionstrategiestohelpunderachieving
students.
Inlightofthis,agrowingbodyofresearchhasrevealedthattheconditionof
underachievingstudentscouldbeimprovedusingcounsellingprinciples.The
argumentinfavourofthissubmissionisthataffectiveconcernsarerelatedto
academicperformance,habitsandcopingstrategies,whichmayalsobeinvolvedin
academicresilience(Santiago-Riveraetal.1995).Sincetheroleofmotivationand
counsellingareconsideredimportantinhelpingunderachievinglearners,section4
alsoemphasisesmotivationandcounsellingapproachesandlastlyconclusionswere
drawinsection5.
2.RationalefortheReview
Inspiteofmuchresearchintounderachievement,itappearsthatnotmuchhas
beendonetoprovidelastingsolutionstotheproblemofunderachievementatschool,
especiallyinsecondaryandhighschools.Alsomanystudieshavecentredongifted
underachieversattheexpenseofconsideringotherareassuchasgenderandculture
(Muir-Broaddus1995,PetersonandColangelo1996,Barbara2005).
Thepresentpaperidentifiesthegroupoflearnersreferredtoasunderachieversin
schools;definesandidentifiesthecausesofunderachievement,itstypesandtheir
characteristics,andsuggestspossiblewaysinwhichacademicsuccesscanbe
enhanced.
Thereviewalsodrawsonpreviousresearchworkonthissubjectconductedinvarious
culturalcontextsinordertoachieveaholisticviewofunderachievement
2.1WhoareUnderachieversatSchool?
Onewouldhavethoughtthat,withthegrowingbodyofliteratureand
increasingresearchonstudentperformanceandachievement,anagreeddefinitionof
underachievementwouldbeeasytofind.Surprisingly,however,educationalistshave
founditdifficulttoprofferauniversaldefinitionofunderachievement.Thisproblem
ofaunifieddefinitionhaspersistedovertheyears.Klingeetal.(1997)positedthat
definingthecharacteristicsofthechildwhoislabelledasanunderachieverhasbeena
difficulttaskforpsychologistsandeducatorsforaconsiderabletime.Barbara(2005)
contendsthatdespitealltheassessmenttoolsavailabletotoday’seducatorsand
mountainsofexistingresearch,astraightforwarddefinitionofunderachievementis
notavailable.
Divergencesofopinionamongcommentatorsonwhatconstitutes
underachievementappeartobeoneofthemajorreasonsfordisagreement,and
differentresearchersmayusedifferentmeasurestodeterminewhoisan
underachiever.Forexample,Gallagher(1985)pointedoutthedangerofusing
intelligencetestsforsomegiftedstudentswhoarelabelledunderachieversbecauseof
pooracademicperformance.Thisisbecauselessisknownabouttheirintellectual
functioning.
ReisandMcCoach(2002)suggestthattheimpactofcultureonacademic
performanceshouldnotbeignoredwhenconsideringunderachievementinschools,
especiallyforforeigners.Theymaintainthatthesestudentsfaceuniquebarriersto
achievement,suchaslanguageproblems.Forexample,minoritystudentsare
frequentlyunderrepresentedinprogrammesforgiftedandtalentedstudents(Barbara
2005).Furthermore,peoplewithinparticularsub-culturesmaydefineachievementin
differentwaysfromthatofthedominantculture.Aresearchcarriedoutwith
underachievingstudentsinChina,itwasrevealedthatunderachievementinvolvesa
markeddiscrepancybetweenexpectedandactualperformance(Kit-LingLauand
Chan2001).
Nevertheless,promisingdefinitionshavecontributedmuchinaddressingthe
issueofunderachievement.Forexample,Whitmore(1980)andColangelo(1982)
believethatmanydefinitionsofunderachievementunderscorethegapbetween
potential(ability)andperformance(achievement).Inotherwords,theinabilityto
maximisepotentialshavebeenacommondenominatorinthesedefinitions.However,
whilethispositionmayofferageneraldefinitionofunderachievement,thedynamics
ofabilityandperformancemustalsocometoplay.
Abilityandperformancearenotstaticphenomenabutareinconstantflux,and
thereforechangeovertime.Studentperformancevariesatdifferenttimes,andcould
bebetterdependingonthedegreeofpreparationbeforeexaminations.Yetthesame
studentwiththesameamountofpreparationmaynotperformaswellasatother
times.Thefailuretoperformtotheoptimumcouldbeattributedtofactorsexternalto
thestudent’sintellectualandcognitiveability.Suchfactorscouldincludeemotional
problems(Sontagetal.1958)orbehavioural/maturationalissues(DeHirschetal.
1996).
Sousa(2002)observesthatunderachievementisbehaviour,andnotanattitudeor
setofworkhabits.Behaviourchangeovertimeandcanbemoredirectlymodifiedas
opposedtoattitude.ResearchconductedwithstudentsinNigeriawhichaimedat
determiningthecausesofunderachievementfoundthatamajorcausewasbehaviour
problemsotherthandeficienciesinabilityorintellectualcapability.However,
underachievementisapatternascomplicatedasthechildrentowhomthislabelis
applied,andsomeresearchersbelievethatamoreaccuratewaytodefineitisto
consideritsvariouscomponents(DelisleandBerger1990).
Thefollowingcomponentsareuseful,accordingtoDelisleandBerg:
Underachievementiscontentandsituationspecific;thosewhomaynotbesuccessful
atschool,forexample,areoftensuccessfulinoutsideactivitiessuchassports,music
orafter-schooljobs.Also,labellingastudentasanunderachieverignoresthepositive
outcomeofthoseareasinwhichthestudentdoessucceed;itthereforemakesmore
sensetolabeltheareaofunderachievement,notthestudent.Forexample,astudent
maybeunderachievinginmathematicsorscience.Underachievementistiedtothe
self–conceptwhichcanbecomeaself-fulfillingprophecy.Ifstudentsseethemselves
asfailures,theymayeventuallyplaceself-imposedlimitsonwhatispossible.
Forstudentsinthiscategory,goodgradesaredismissedasaccidentsorluckbutpoor
gradesservetoreinforceanegativeself-concept.Fromtheliterature,itisevidentthat
auniversallyacceptabledefinitionofunderachievementhasnotbeenpossible.
However,mostresearchersagreethatdiscrepanciesbetweenabilityandactual
performance,behaviouraldisruptiveness,andneurological/cognitivefactorsmayhave
muchtosayinexplainingunderachievement(Bluer1987;DelisleandBerger1990;
Sousa2002).
Inanswertothequestionofwhoareunderachieversatschool,itcanbe
deducedthatunderachieversincludethosestudents:
ARECLS,2009,Vol.6,84-102.
90
1.whodonotperformaccordingtoexpectationsinaparticularsubjectarea.
2.whoasaresultofbehaviourdonotshowinterest/dowellintheirstudies.
3.whodonotperformwellinaspecificsubjectarea.
4.whodohavethenecessaryintellectualabilitybutstillunderachieve.
5.whoarelimitedbyculture,languageandgenderfr
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