Many researchers have studied possible causes for underachievement with the hope that their findings will help educators work more effectively with students who underachieve. While these researchers’ theories are insightful, almost all of their ideas are conceptual and have little or no supporting empirical evidence. The School Achievement and Motivation Scales (SAMS) were developed to investigate empirically the reasons students underachieve. Once the SAMS is established as valid and reliable, it can be used to assist school counselors in determining the reasons underlying a student’s underachievement. When the reasons for underachievement are better understood, school counselors and researchers will be able to evaluate intervention plans that directly address those reasons.

This study involved 388 student participants in grades six through nine who completed the SAMS online. A school counselor or teacher provided school data, including grades and standardized tests scores, for 328 of these participants. A five factor structure emerged from the SAMS. Subsequently, these five factors were treated as subscales of the SAMS: (I) Dedication to Schoolwork, (II) Personal Well-Being, (III) Interpersonal Diplomacy, (IV) Desire to Learn and Succeed, and (V) Academic Self-Concept. Differences in responding on each subscale by grade level and gender were examined. In general, there were no gender based differences in responding, and attitudes about selected aspects of underachievement decreased as school level increased. Future studies should continue empirical investigations on the SAMS to facilitate school counselors’ work with underachieving students.