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Home Links Articles Attitudes Toward Learning: Signs of Underachievers

Attitudes Toward Learning: Signs of Underachievers

Children have different attitudes towards learning that can affect their performance in school. Some students are proud to be at the head of the class, while others try to get by with as little effort as possible. If your child is not doing his or her best, measure his or her attitude against the following statements.

Achievers:

Underachievers:

Beliefs about intelligence

"I can get smarter by learning and trying hard."

Beliefs about intelligence

"I have a certain amount of ability which determines how smart I am."

Response to difficult academic tasks

"If I fail, it's because I didn't try hard enough." (Achievers confidently plan strategies to overcome their failures).

Response to difficult academic tasks

"If I fail, it's because I don't have the ability to do it." (Underachievers avoid academic challenges and feel helpless when faced with a difficult task).

Rewards they look to from homework

"I feel smart when I put forth my best effort, don't understand something at first and then figure it out or learn something new."

Rewards they look to from homework

"I feel smart when a task is easy for me," or "I don't have to put forth much effort," or "I don't make mistakes," or "I can finish a project first."

Many underachievers did well in elementary school, but their grades began to suffer as the work became harder and harder. Underachievers are not born with this outlook - it may be time for an attitude adjustment. Sometimes, all it takes is a little encouragement from you to help your children gain confidence in their abilities and develop a positive attitude toward learning.

Let children know that they can do anything once they set their mind to it. Show children the value of the task at hand and compliment their performance. When a student gains a sense of accomplishment from completing a task and trying his or her best, he or she may welcome a challenge and be more willing to try new things. Keeping a confident mindset and building self-esteem can be the keys to improved academic performance.

 

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