Factors Of Failure In Gifted Students: How To Overcome Them
Faktori neuspeha darovitih studenata: kako ih prevazići
Summary: The subject of this research concerns the factors contributing to failure in gifted students, with the aim of examining the scope of such factors to provide essential information for adapting didactic approaches in overcoming crises experienced by gifted individuals who manifest academic underachievement. The objective is to inform the design of didactic strategies that stimulate motivational concepts in gifted students who, when in crisis, adopt defensive strategies. The central research question is: How do the identified factors contribute to the formation of the phenomenon of failure in gifted individuals? The chosen model integrates psychological and social factors, a framework widely accepted in prior studies (Reis & McCoach, 2000). The goal is to assess the significance of a group of factors for which prior research has not yet yielded unequivocal findings concerning academic failure among gifted students. It is necessary to determine to what extent underachieving gifted students differ from high-achieving gifted peers and the general student population. The theoretical framework encompasses Sternberg's triarchic theory of intelligence and theory of mental self-government, Bandura’s social-cognitive perspective, theories of self-regulation, and didactic theories oriented toward student autonomy (Klafki, 1985; Blažić, 2003; Blankertz, 1982). Research questions focus on the differences in intrapersonal and interpersonal factors between academically successful and unsuccessful gifted students (including personality traits, emotional difficulties, antisocial behavior, unstable self- concept, low academic self-concept, low motivation and identity crises, low or non-academic goal setting; and the link between intrapsychic factors and broader normative and discursive patterns related to the educational system). To test the proposed model, this exploratory study uses systematic non-experimental observation, with statistical analyses serving as substitutes for experimental control. Sample.The study compares high-achieving gifted students (GPA above 9.50, excellence in prior education levels, awards, achievements in domains such as arts or sports) with academically underachieving gifted students (exhibiting defensive behavior patterns, low academic outcomes despite prior excellence) and other students. Key variables include academic self-concept, motivation, goal-setting, attitudes toward teachers, and relationships with normative and discursive structures of the educational system. A sample of 833 university students from Slovenia, Croatia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, and Serbia was gathered through voluntary participation via the Google Forms platform. Participants completed an online battery of instruments: General Information; Success/Failure Mapping; Motivational Strategies Scale (SMS); Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI); Self-attribution of Success Questionnaire (PSFP); Memory and Reasoning Competence Inventory (MARCI); Big Five Inventory – BFIIV5 (DPPN); and a custom-constructed Didactic Strategies Questionnaire for overcoming failure. Key findings.Findings confirm the relevance of the proposed model and its factors, while also indicating that environmental variables alone cannot reliably explain the realization of gifted potential. The development of excellence involves a morphogenetic complexity of factors, whose configuration at a specific moment is critical and unique to each individual. The interaction between environmental attributes and the individual’s traits forms a personalized "success formula" shaped by mutual influence. These results support the relevance of systemic mentorship models, such as Ziegler’s actiotope model, as a direction for further research on didactic strategies for fostering excellence in gifted individuals. Such models may serve as a pathway for effectively reintegrating underachieving gifted students from the academic margins back onto the path of self-regulation and achievement.
Rezime: Predmet istraživanja odnosi se na faktore neuspeha darovitih studenata, a namera je da se testira pitanje obuhvata faktora koji omogućuju neophodne informacije za primeravanje didaktičkih postupaka u prevazilaženju kriza darovitih koji manifestuju neuspeh, dakle, za dobijanje informacija za dizajniranje didaktičkih strategija za stimulisanje motivacionih koncepata darovitih studenata koji u krizama upadaju u defanzivne strategije. Pitanje na koje se traga za odgovorom je: kako predviđeni faktori doprinose formiranju fenomena neuspeha darovitih? Odabran je model kombinovanja psiholoških i socijalnih faktora, koji je inače najviše prihvaćen u prethodnim istraživanjima (Reis & McCoach, 2000). Cilj istraživanja je proveriti značaj grupe faktora za koje prethodna istraživanja još nemaju jednoznačne nalaze za akademski neuspeh darovitih studenata. Tako je potrebno utvrditi koliko se daroviti akademski neuspešni studenti razlikuju od darovitih akademski uspešnih i ostalih. Teorijski kontekst čine elementi Sternbergove trijarhične teorije inteligencije i Teorije mentalnog samoupravljanja, Bandurina socijalno-kognitivna perspektiva, Teorije samoregulacije i didaktičke teorije usmerene ka autonomiji studenata (Klafki,1985; Blažić, 2003; Blankerc, 1982). Pitanja kojima se traga za odgovorima odnose se na sledeće: kolika je razlika između intrapersonalnih i interpersonalnih faktora kod akademski uspešnih i neuspešnih darovitih studenata (između crta ličnosti, emocionalni problemi, antisocijalne aktivnosti, nestabilni self-koncept, nizak akademski self-koncept, niska motivacija i kriza identiteta, nisko postavljeni ciljevi, neakademski ciljevi; veza intrapsihičkih faktora sa širim normativnim i diskurzivnim obrascima koji se odnose na obrazovni sistem)? Za testiranje predviđenog modela faktora neuspeha darovitih studenata u ovom eksplorativnom istraživanju koristi se sistematsko neeksperimentalno posmatranje, uz statističke analize kao zamene za eksperimentalne kontrole. Uzorak. – U radu će se porediti uspešni akademski daroviti studenti (prosek iznad 9.50), izvrsnost na prethodnim stepenima obrazovanja (nagrade na takmičenjima, izvanredna ostvarenja u raznim oblastima – umetnost, sport...) sa akademski neuspešnim darovitim studentima (defanzivni obrasci ponašanja, slabi obrazovni efekti, koji su na prethodnim stepenima obrazovanja ostvarivali izvrsnost u nekim oblastima obrazovanja) i ostalim studentima. Posmatra se: akademski self-koncept, motivacija, postavljanje ciljeva, stavovi prema nastavnicima i odnosi sa normativnim i diskurzivnim obrascima koji prvenstveno obuhvataju obrazovni sistem. Uzorak studenata (833) sa univerziteta iz Slovenije, Hrvatske, Makedonije, Bosne i Hercegovine, Rumunije i Srbije formiran je na osnovu slobodnog opredeljenja studenata da se uključe putem platforme Google Forms u onlajn popunjavanje baterije instrumenata: Opšti podaci, adresiranje uspeha/neuspeha, Skala motivacionih strategija (SMS), Metacognitive awareness inventory – MAI; Upitnik za procenu adresiranja uspeha (PSFP); Inventar kompetencija za pamćenje i rezonovanje (MARCI); Crte ličnosti „Velikih pet”– BFIIV5, (DPPN) Didaktički postupci za prevazilaženje neuspeha – upitnik konstruisan za potrebe ovog istraživanja. Osnovni nalazi. – Nalazi potvrđuju značaj testiranog modela i faktora u njemu, ali i ostavljaju prostor da se zaključuje o nemogućnosti da se sa sigurnošću utvrde faktori sredine značajni za ostvarenja potencijala darovitih, jer podsticanje vrhunskih mogućnosti razvoja ima morfogenični kompleks faktora. Izdvojene grupe karakteristika značajne su za razvoj; njihov složaj, adekvatno komponovanje u određenom momentu presudno je, kao i vrlo specifično za svaku osobu. U spletu okolinskih svojstava ima isto toliko sopstvenog spleta spoljnih, sredinskih faktora, koje na poseban način imaju nešto slično sa jedinstvenošću osobe, te kao da, iako odvojene, jedinstvenosti spolja (složaj okolnosti formira sredinu, u značajnim situacijama stvara posebnu formulu uspeha) i one iznutra (fizičke i mentalne crte) – jedne druge uslovljavaju, pokreću, provociraju i obeležavaju. Tako sve ovo ide u prilog sistemskog modela mentorstva, poput Ciglerovog (Ziegler), kao pravac ka kome treba usmeravati istraživanja didaktičkih strategija podsticanja izvrsnosti darovitih i kao put ka efikasnosti u podršci vraćanja neuspešnih studenata sa margina na put samoregulacije i ostvarenja izvrsnosti.
srpski
2025
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Ključne reči: daroviti studenti; akademski neuspeh; motivacioni koncepti; samoregulacija učenja; didaktičke strategije; intrapersonalni i interpersonalni faktori; model mentorstva.
Keywords: gifted students; academic underachievement; motivational concepts; self-regulated learning; didactic strategies; intrapersonal and interpersonal factors; mentorship model.