This qualitative research investigated the general characteristics of family backgrounds, emotion,
and academic performance of underachievers in elementary schools. In addition, the causes of
underachievement were analyzed. Qualitative data were gathered primarily from open-ended,
semi-structured interviews with related students, parents, teachers, and community care givers. The
results show that underachievers among elementary school children are strongly affected by factors
associated with family disruption and poverty. Many of them have been raised within a single-parent
family or by their grandparents. Also, they are more likely to lack motivation and interest for
studying, and show psychological withdrawal. In aspects of academic performance, they are short of
learning readiness and have difficulties in such subjects as math, social studies, and Korean language.
The factors that cause underachievement in elementary school are as follows. First of all, the neglect
of parents in care-giving resulting from broken homes are more than problematic. In addition, the
students' relatively low cognitive ability for comprehension comes from lacking of basic language
ability in association with deficits of material and cultural capitals and turned out to cause the
underachievement. Finally, difficulty level of elementary school curriculum is related to
underachievement, in part.