Attribution theory provides a way of interpreting achievement motivation which ties together the achievement motive and the sense of control variable (Coleman, et al.). In addition to this conceptual clarity, attribution theory has an advantaged in potential programs for implementing change. The research described here was directed toward an attribution theory analysis of academic achievement of Negroes. The purpose of the research was to systematically observe and evaluate causal factors in determining academic performance among subjects varying in social class and race. In the first study, attributions to the four factors of ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck were examined in order to determine their effects on feelings of pride-shame and subsequent action. The second study focused on the basic premise of the present research, i.e., there are racial and/or social class differences in how success and failure are interpreted. One hundred and twenty Grade Five children were selected as subjects from three schools in a school district with a population which was heterogeneous in both social class and racial background. In the third study, self-reward was used as a nonverbal indicant of the extent to which internal attributions are being made. Ninety-six fourth and fifth graders were tested. They were divided into six groups of 16 subjects each on the basis of sex, race, and socioeconomic status. (Author/JM)