Date of Award
Spring 1995
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education
First Advisor
Ivanoff, John
Second Advisor
Diez, Mary E.
Third Advisor
Dupius, A.
Abstract
As a professional educator, I became acutely aware of how many students are underachieving. Because I was always motivated to do my absolute best academically, I had no conception or understanding of why some students were so unmotivated and lacking in academic aspirations. Thus, I began to pose the question, "Why are some students motivated and why are other students unmotivated?" The more I searched for an answer to this question, the more I realized the complexities of the mysterious educational dilemma of academic underachievement. This dissertation project evolved from personal musings and reflections, as well as from listening to countless parental lamentations and continual educational venting and frustrations. The completion of my doctoral dissertation has strengthened my commitment to adolescent educational concerns. As a result of the following research and manuscript, I have become a more informed and empathetic educational researcher and practitioner especially regarding the issue of academic underachievement.