Investigation of reasons for the underachievements of gifted students in science learni̇ng

The aim of the research is to identify gifted students at the middle school level who exhibit underachievement in science learning, determine the factors that lead them to underachievement in science learning, and provide an evidence-based finding that will support further teaching. The research was carried out as a multiple case study within the scope of the qualitative research approach. In the research, semi-structured interview forms and open-ended questions were used as data collection tools. As a measure of academic success, the students' end-of-term grade point averages were taken as a basis in their middle school education years, and an attitude scale towards science was applied to measure their attitudes towards science. Content analysis was carried out in the analysis of the qualitative data obtained with the interview questions and open-ended questions in the interviews conducted in the Zoom program. It was found that the factors affecting science learning in gifted students with underachievement were grouped under three themes. The themes were expressed as reasons originating from the student, school, and family. According to the data obtained, it was found that the factors affecting the underachievement of underachievement gifted students in science learning were the same, but the degree of influence of these factors on students differed according to students.