Working with the educational underachiever: A social and emotional developmental approach

Abstract

Internationally, educational underachievement continues to be of great concern for different reasons (e.g., Bernard, 1996, 1997a). Throughout the western world, politicians and educational policy advisors are concerned about data that shows that large percentages of young people who are capable of achieving academic standards are not doing so (e.g., NAEP, 2003). Specific concern surrounds underachievement in males (Lillico, 2001), on the substandard academic performance of students from different cultural groups (e.g., African-Caribbean; Latinos) (e.g., Ford, 1996) and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Much research over the years has focused on underachievement in gifted students (e.g., McCall et al., 1992). At the level individual students, teachers and parents are concerned when young people fail to live up to their academic potential. Students who demonstrate chronic under-achievement are oftentimes identified for further discussion by student study teams and, ultimately, in some cases, are referred for more intensive assessment to determine eligibility for special education as a result of learning disabilities or other health-related impairments (e.g., attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder). Educational underachievement is frequently in evidence in children and adolescents who manifest social, emotional and behavioral difficulties (e.g., Woodward and Fergusson, 2001). Educational underachievement may also manifest itself without accompanying mental health problems and when chronic can be considered as a "problem" or "at risk" behavior much the same as use of illegal substances, truancy, school suspensions and precocious sex (Kazdin and Weisz, 2003). Developmentally, an increase in educational underachievement is associated with the onset of adolescence in some but not all teenagers (Bernard and Joyce, 1984). This chapter presents a social and emotional developmental model that conceptualizes non-cognitive ability psychosocial factors which contribute to educational underachievement as well as promote achievement. The model identifies five social and emotional disabilities with accompanying irrational beliefs (negative Habits of the Mind) which when present act as barriers to student learning. Also identified are five social and emotional capabilities supported by rational beliefs (positive Habits of the Mind) that need to be well developed in order for students to achieve to the best of their ability. It is proposed that educational underachievement results from delays in social and emotional development as well as from different social and emotional disabilities with effects first appearing in the achievement of five 5-year-old children (e.g., Bernard, 2004a). The social and emotional learning approach advocated to treating underachievement involves a social and emotional learning program consisting of 1:1 counseling/therapy and, when possible, additional social and emotional learning support offered by parents and teachers. The social and emotional learning program combines rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT) (Bernard and Joyce, 1984; Ellis and Bernard, 1983), rationalemotive education (REE) (Knaus, 1974; Vernon, 1983; Vernon, 2006a, 2006b) and methods found in a program called You Can Do It! Education (Bernard, 2001, 2002, 2005a). Three aspects of the social and emotional learning program are described: (a) methods to eliminating social and emotional disabilities including irrational beliefs, (b) methods for developing social and emotional capabilities including the strengthening of rational beliefs, and (c) methods which parents and teacher can employ in supporting the social and emotional development of the underachiever. A broad sweep of the field of educational underachievement including definitions of the syndrome and types of underachievers will initiate this discussion. © 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.