under-aˈchiever Psychol.
Also as one word without hyphen.
[under-1 10 b.]
Someone whose actual performance consistently fails to reach the level predicted by intelligence tests or other measures of ability. Cf. over-achiever.
| 1953 Jrnl. Abnormal Psychol. XLVIII. 533/2 If his grades fell a full rank below prediction he was labelled an ‘underachiever’. 1962 ‘I. Ross’ Old Students Never Die viii. 105 Nowadays we have a name for them: the kids with the high potential and the low grades. We call them ‘under-achievers’. 1968 D. Lawton Social Class, Lang. & Educ. i. 6 For a number of reasons working-class children tend to be under-achievers. 1973 E.-J. Bahr Nice Neighbourhood v. 47, I identify with the underachievers of this world. 1975 Kingston (Ontario) Whig-Standard 6 Sept. 27/6 The survey also found that those not using seat belts also were under-achievers in school. |
So under-aˈchievement; under-aˈchieve v. intr., under-aˈchieving ppl. a. and vbl. n.
| 1951 School Rev. LIX. 472 (title) Factors related to over-achievement and under-achievement in school. 1953 Underachieving vbl. n. [see overachieving vbl. n.]. 1954 Jrnl. Educ. Psychol. Oct. 322 It is virtually impossible for a pupil at or near the..first percentile [on an intelligence test] to ‘under-achieve’. 1965 in M. Kornrich Underachievement 553 A role for the counselor may be to help the underachieving student. 1972 Guardian 21 July 12/5 Parents who want their children to go to a popular school may..encourage them to underachieve. 1982 Secondary Educ. Jrnl. XII. iii. 1/2 Underachievement is not confined to pupils in secondary schools. Ibid., Many of these pupils are..not achieving their full potential—in other words they are underachieving. |