The process of diagnosing the underachievement syndrome in gifted and creative children

Abstract

The core of interest in the article concerns the process of identifying the underachievement syndrome in the group of gift ed and creative pupils. Recognising the syndrome among gift ed students relies on formal and informal diagnoses. Formal diagnosis demands the cooperation of educationalists and psychologists and depends on the comparison of school marks and scholastic achievement tests with the results of standardised tests for intelligence, creativity and special abilities. Informal diagnosis demands that the teacher be well informed about the syndrome and involves recognising specific details of the students’ behaviour and functioning in the school and family environments. Such a diagnosis can be divided into five component elements: a diagnosis of constant tendencies and patterns in the student’s behaviour at home and at school, a diagnosis of how the student behaves in typical school situations, a diagnosis of certain aspects of their personality, a diagnosis of typical factors in the family environment, a diagnosis of the school environment.