Personal and school factors influencing academic success or underachievement of intellectually gifted students in middle childhood

This study identified inter- and intrapersonal issues that differentiated intellectually gifted elementary students (IQ ≥ 130, N = 90, M = 10.3) achieving at different levels academically (high, below expectations, and below average). Teachers assessed students' interpersonal and motivational functioning (EZ-Yale Personality-Motivational Questionnaire) and emotional and behavioral adjustment (Conners' Teacher Rating Scales-39). Students characterized their self-concepts and values (Harter Self-Perception Profile and Competence/Importance Discrepancy Scale) and goals (Personal Projects Analysis Scale). PCA indicated that teachers evaluated gifted students on three criteria, academic challenge seeking, and social and emotional adjustment. Teachers characterized high achieving students as high functioning on all criteria, students performing below expectations as socially anxious and lacking in academic initiative, and students performing below average as socially anxious, academically disengaged, and emotionally maladjusted. Among high achieving children, boys reported more learning goals and girls reported more positive performance goals. Among children performing below expectations for the gifted, boys reported more positive non-academic interests and experiences, and felt more scholastically competent than did girls, who reported more defensive performance goals. Children performing below average academically reported self-concepts and goals consistent with internalized distress and depression.