A STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO PRODUCE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE INFLUENCE OF A TEACHER'S MOTIVES FOR HER PERFORMANCE AND EFFECTIVENESS IN THE CLASSROOM. THE FIRST ASPECT OF THE STUDY DEALT WITH A PSYCHOMETRIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INSTRUMENTS DESIGNED TO ASSESS TEACHER MOTIVES. THE SECOND ASPECT DEALT WITH THE ABILITY OF THE TEACHER PREFERENCE SCALE (TPS) TO DISCRIMINATE AND CLARIFY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN VARIOUS GROUPS OF TEACHERS. THE THIRD ASPECT WAS CONCERNED WITH THE INTERRELATIONSHIPS AMONG THREE FACTORS--(1) TEACHER PERSONALITY, (2) TEACHER BEHAVIOR IN THE CLASSROOM, AND (3) PUPIL RESPONSE. TEACHER PERSONALITY WAS ASSESSED THROUGH THE TPS AND THE STERN ACTIVITIES INDEX. TEACHER BEHAVIOR WAS OBSERVED DIRECTLY IN THE CLASSROOM. PUPIL RESPONSE WAS ALSO OBSERVED DIRECTLY IN THE CLASSROOM AND SEVERAL INDIRECT MEASURES OF PUPIL RESPONSE BECAME AVAILABLE. THE SAMPLE INCLUDED 86 TEACHERS OF FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADES IN SCHOOLS IN CENTRAL NEW YORK STATE. THREE TEST SCORES WERE AVAILABLE--(1) TPS FORM A, (2) TPS FORM G, AND (3) THE STERN ACTIVITIES INDEX (SAI). EIGHT HYPOTHESES WERE TESTED. THE THIRD ASPECT OF THE STUDY WAS CONSIDERED THE MOST IMPORTANT BUT, ALSO PROVED DISAPPOINTING. THE TPS DID NOT RELATE IN ANY CONSISTENT MANNER WITH PUPIL BEHAVIOR, ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, OR SOCIOMETRIC RESULTS. THE SAI PROVED TO BE A MUCH BETTER INSTRUMENT FOR PREDICTING PUPIL BEHAVIOR AND ACHIEVEMENT THAN THE TPS. OTHER FINDINGS WERE DESCRIBED. (HB)