Identification and Remediation of Factors Causing Underachievement of Students’ Performance in Senior School Certificate (SSC) Biology

At the secondary school levels in Western Countries Particularly, some students drop out of school because they are labeled and categorized as underachievers, despite the fact that teachers sometimes fail to establish whether such students though underachieve in a particular subject such as Biology but can achieve in others. However, opinions are divided among educationists regarding the definition and causes of underachievement. The study addresses some contemporary issues associated with underachievement. The rationale for the study is to identify the group of learners referred to as underachievers and to find out if their condition can be impaired with the help of teachers, psychologists and parents. Categorizing underachievers into different types can have an impact in proffering solution, especially in the case of the so-called gifted underachievers. The question of whether or not underachieving learners can still learn is answered in affirmative after consulting the literature on counseling and motivation.