Gifted and Underachieving: Exploring the Paradox with Dr. Michael Matthews

Michael S. Matthews is Professor in the Cato College of Education of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Matthews has held leadership roles in the Research on Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent SIG of the American Educational Research Association, the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), the North Carolina Association for the Gifted & Talented, and the Council for Exceptional Children’s Talented and Gifted division (CEC-TAG). He has co-edited both Gifted Child Quarterly and the Journal of Advanced Academics. At the local level he is also a founding board member and Board Chair for a public charter school that uses gifted education pedagogy to meet the needs of all learners. Dr. Matthews is widely published in the field, having authored or edited six books and over 60 peer-reviewed articles. His research addresses identification in gifted education; underachievement, parenting, and motivation among high-ability children, including those in homeschooling and those with dual exceptionalities; and open science and research methods in gifted education. Dr. Matthews’ recent recognitions in his field include the 2025 Distinguished Scholar Award from the National Association for Gifted Children and the 2026 James J. Gallagher Advocacy Award from the North Carolina Association for the Gifted & Talented. His research can be seen in his Google Scholar profile at https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=01ia7AIAAAAJ&hl=en