College students in introductory foreign language courses (French, German, and Spanish) were the subjects of a study to determine what if any correlation exists between ability and motivation on the one hand and achievement on the other in learning a second language. The ability measure (predicted grade point average) was found to correlate significantly with final course percentage grade but not with self-rated effort (SRE). Motivational measures correlated significantly with the SRE criterion but not with final course percentage. Ability did not correlate more highly with both SRE and final course percentage than did any motivational component of the model. These findings support the notion that ability is a general component of a complete expectancy theory model. The failure of the motivational components to add to the prediction of course performance may be explained by the fact that, for the majority of the students, this was not an introduction to foreign language; previous learning experience would factor into SRE ratings. It will be important for future research to use an academic situation where such previous background might not mask potential relationships between motivational components and course performance. (Author/JB)