What Underachieving Middle School Students Believe Motivates them to Learn

Chapter 1: The Challenge to Educate Everyone Chapter 2: A Review of Literature Chapter 3: Methods Chapter 4: The Results Chapter 5: Discussion References Appendixes      The Pilot Study      Identifying Students      Consent Forms      Characteristics      Sample Transcript      Sample Field Notes Biography

Appendix B Identifying Underachieving Students Checklist For Identifying Indices Of Underachievement Among Gifted Black Students (Ford, 1996) Social Factors Student's primary social group is outside of the school or gifted program Student participates in little or no extracurricular activities Student socializes with delinquents and/or students who have a poor achievement orientation Student's need for peer acceptance and relations outweighs his or her academic concerns about school and achievement Student lives in one or more risk factors (e.g., poverty, single-parent family, poorly educated parent(s), etc.) Family Factors Student's home life is stressful Low parental educational level Student has one parent in the home Student has relatives who have dropped out of school Student has little parental/family supervision; poor family relations Parental expectations for student are too low or unrealistic Low socioeconomic status Communication between home and school is poor School Culture/Climate Factors Teachers and school personnel hold low expectations of minority students Morale among teachers, school personnel, and/or students is low Classroom environment is unfriendly or hostile Student feels alienated and isolated from teacher(s) Student feels alienated and isolated from classmates Gifted program lacks cultural and racial diversity relative to students Teaching, administrative staff, and other school personnel lack racial and cultural diversity Little attention is given to multicultural education Teachers and other school personnel lack substantive training in gifted education Teachers and other school personnel lack substantive training in multicultural and urban education Minority students are underrepresented in the gifted program and services Psychological/Individual/Factors Student motivation is consistently low Student has negative attitude toward school Student cannot tolerate structured and/or passive activities Student relates poorly to authority or adult figures (e.g., teachers, parents, administrators) Student has experienced emotional trauma (on more than one occasion, consistently, or frequently) Student has low self-esteem Student has low academic and/or social self-concepts Student has poor racial identity Student has health or medical problems Student attributes failure to lack of ability; attributes success to luck or easy task Student consistently seeks immediate gratification Student's learning style preferences are inconsistent with teaching styles Student suffers from test or evaluative anxiety Student has a learning disability Student Achievement Behaviors Student has low standardized test scores Student has low grades or grade point average Student exerts little effort on school tasks Student avoids challenging work Student bores easily; dislikes drill work and rote practices Student disrupts the classroom Student procrastinates on school assignments Student has poor study and/or test taking skills Student resists participating in gifted program and services Student has been suspended and/or expelled Student has been truant or does not go to classes   Achievement Identification Measure Sample Inventory Items (* indicates negative indicator) Rimm (1986, 1988) Dimension #1-Competition *My child is considered bossy. *My child blames others or finds excuses when he loses at something. My child continues in an activity or game even if he loses. *My child avoids competitive activities unless he is almost sure to win. My child enjoys competition, win or lose. *My child gets depressed or cries and complains when he loses at something. Dimension #2-Responsibility *I help my child with his homework. *My child had a lot of health problems as a preschooler. *The mother or father in the family is perfectionistic. My child does schoolwork at a reasonable speed. My child was the center of an unusual amount of attention for at least the first 3 years of his life. *My child seems to ask for more teacher help than most children. *My child postpones working on a long-term project until the last minute. Dimension #3-Self-Control *Since we parents had a difficult childhood, we want our child to have everything we missed. My child is well behaved in school. *My child and his mother had an unusually close relationship as a result of difficult family circumstances (e.g., divorce, illness, spouse's work away from home, etc.). *My child often convinces his parent to change his or her mind. *My child is anxious to be as similar as possible to his friends. *The mother in the family is overly protective. Dimension #4-Achievement Communication The mother in the family is happy in a career other than homemaking. The father in the family thinks good grades are important. The mother in the family was a high achiever when she was a child. The father in the family liked school. *The mother in the family is more interested in school achievement than the father. Dimension #5-Respect *My child "talks back" to the father in the family. *The mother in the family is happy in the role of full time homemaker. My child usually obeys his mother. *My child "talks back" to the mother in the family. *The father in the family appears to be a kinder person than the mother.     40 Developmental Assets * indicates Assets middle schools can directly affect Scales (1996) Support 1. Family life provides high levels of love and support. 2. Parents and youth communicate positively; youth is willing to seek parents advice and counsel. *3. Youth receives support for three or more non-parent adults. 4. Youth experiences caring neighbors. *5. School provides caring, encouraging environment. *6. Parents are actively involved in helping children succeed in school. Empowerment 7. Youth perceives that community adults value young people. 8. Youth are given usual roles in community life. *9. Youth gives one hour or more per week in serving her/his community. *10. Youth feels safe in home, school, and community.   Boundaries And Expectations 11. Family has clear rules and consequences; and monitors whereabouts. *12. School provides clear rules and consequences. 13. Neighbors would report undesirable behavior to family. 14. Parent(s) and other adults model prosocial behavior. 15. Youth's best friend models responsible behavior. *16. Both parents and teachers encourage youth to achieve. Constructive Use Of Time *17. Youth is involved three or more hours per week in lessons or practice in music, theater, or other arts. *18. Youth is involved in three or more hours per weeks in sports, clubs, or organizations at school and/or in community organizations. 19. Youth is involved one or more hours per week in religious programs or services. 20. Youth spends two or fewer nights per week out with friends "with nothing special to do". Educational Commitment *21. Youth is motivated to do well in school. *22. Youth has a B average or better. *23. Youth reports one or more hours of homework per day. *24. Youth cares about her/his school. *25. Youth reads for pleasure three or more hours per week. Values *26. Youth places high value on helping others. 27. Youth places high value on promoting equality and reducing hunger and poverty. 28. Youth acts on convictions and stands up for her/his beliefs. *29. Youth tells the truth even when it's not easy. *30. Youth accepts and takes personal responsibility. *31. Youth believes it is important not to be sexually active or to use alcohol or other drugs. Social Competencies *32. Youth has skills to plan ahead and make wise choices. 33. Youth has empathy, sensitivity, and friendship skills. *34. Youth has knowledge of and comfort with people of differing racial/ethnic backgrounds. *35. Youth can resist negative peer pressure. *36. Youth seeks to reduce conflicts non-violently. Positive Identity *37. Youth feels he/she has control over "things that happen to me". 38. Youth reports high self-esteem. 39. Youth reports "my life has a purpose". 40. Youth is optimistic about her/his personal future.

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Mike Muir Assistant Professor of Education University of Maine at Farmington 104 Main Street Farmington, ME 04938 207.778.7179 wilder@somtel.com http://violet.umf.maine.edu/~mmuir