What distinguishes underachievers from highly achieving gifted children? The relationship between underachievement in gifted and typically developing children and the role of working memory and learning style in this relation.

Abstract

Previous studies suggest that gifted children often underachieve although it is unclear what distinguishes underachievers from highly achieving gifted children. To understand the distinction, the current study explored the association with working memory and learning style. From a screening sample of 763 children from 27 various primary schools in the Netherlands, 341 children from grade 3 and 4 were included in this study. From these children, 32 were selected as gifted through high scores on IQ and creativity measures. The relationship between (underachieving) gifted children and working memory and learning style is investigated through the results of the Monkey Game, Lion Game and the questionnaire Learning & Thinking. It is found that gifted children do not more often underachieve although they have a better working memory than the typically developing children and the underachieving gifted have a lower working memory than the achieving gifted. No support is found for a difference in learning style in (underachieving) gifted children.