The purpose of this study was to verify the effect on learning motivation and academic self-efficacy after developing and applying a strength discovery program for underachievers. The program based on Peterson and Seligman's (2004) VIA(Virtues in Action) taxonomy, Smith's strengths model, Lepper and Hodell's (1989) characteristics of motivating tasks, and Bandura's four components of self-efficacy, and organized the activities into positive teacher-peer-person interactions. A total of 12 children with learning difficulties in grades 4, 5, and 6 were selected by administering the Basic Learning Skills Test (BLST) before the program, and the program was conducted once a week for 50 minutes per session for a total of 9 sessions. The Korean Self-Regulation Questionnaire for Academic Studies (K-SRQ-A) and the Academic Self-Efficacy Test were administered before and after the program, and the data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. The results showed that the strengths discovery program developed in this study was effective in improving the learning motivation and academic self-efficacy of underachievers. This study is significant as it demonstrates the potential for enhancing academic achievement in underachievers by designing a program based on theoretical foundations and utilizing peers and teachers as program resources.