Academic underachievement and its motivational and self-regulated learning correlates: A meta-analytic review of 80 years of research

Academic underachievement, the discrepancy between students' academic potential and performance, remains both an educational problem and a mystery after nearly a century of research. Of enduring interest has been identifying factors behind underachievement, one of which relates to students’ motivation and self-regulated learning. To explore the state of known research, we conducted a systematic and meta-analytic review of the past 80 years of empirical research comparing underachieving and non-underachieving students on various motivational and self-regulated learning correlates. Based on 1044 effect sizes from 125 studies (156 unique samples, N = 56,640 students), our overall meta-analytic findings suggested that underachieving students tend to have higher external locus of control (g = 0.30) and lower levels of competence beliefs (g = −0.48), autonomous motivation and task values (g = −0.48), self-regulated learning strategies (g = −0.59), and mastery goals (g = −0.39) relative to non-underachieving students. Differences in competence beliefs between underachieving and non-underachieving students were moderated by grade level and underachievement identification method. Implications for the theoretical bases for academic underachievement and the educational practices to reverse or prevent underachievement are discussed. •Over 100 studies on underachievement and psychological correlates were identified.•Underachieving students exhibited lower competence beliefs and mastery goals.•Underachieving students exhibited lower self-regulated learning strategies.•Underachieving students exhibited higher extrinsic locus of control.•Student-related and methodological characteristics moderated effect sizes.