ABSTRACT
Gifted students who do not perform as well academically as they are expected to by parents and teachers frequently hold deep feelings of guilt. For many gifted students, the perception that they must decide their entire future by age 18 is not only daunting, but it also can be educationally paralyzing. Researchers cite boredom as a major cause of gifted students' underachievement. Research included gifted students' understanding of boredom and how it affects them. Past research on underachieving gifted students found little clear evidence of a unified model for preventing or reversing underachievement in gifted students. Open communication is a key aspect of parenting any child. Educators in the field must be willing to take ownership of students they view as underachieving. The complex nature of underachievement makes the exhibited behaviors of Sabrina, Michael, and Kara difficult to recognize as symptoms of under-achievement.
