A classic distinction in the literature on achievement and motivation is between fear of failure and success orientations. From the perspective of self-worth theory, these motives are not bipolar constructs but dimensions that interact in ways that make some students particularly vulnerable to underachievement and disengagement from school. The…

Students must be sufficiently motivated in order to achieve the intended learning outcomes of their college courses. Research in education and psychology has found motivation to be context-dependent. Therefore, students' motivation is likely to differ from one semester to the next according to which courses students are taking. However, there are…

This article addresses whether students' achievement motivation changes over time, the relationship between changes in motivation and changes in educational attainment, and the between-school differences in these changes and their interrelationships. Also gender differences were studied. Multivariate multilevel latent growth curve analysis was…