In spring 1983, a study was conducted at a military school to analyze motivation in four self-paced computer-managed instruction (CMI) courses, in which a computer was used to predict time for course completion, guide students, monitor their progress, assign tests, and grade results. In the two classes serving as control groups, no additional motivational stimuli were applied other than standard incentive days off. In the two experimental classes, specific motivational stimuli were applied through classroom postings naming students who had improved and accompanying public praise. Progress, learning rate, and progress rate statistics were compared for all four classes at 2-week intervals. Study findings showed that although all four classes began with statistics near or worse than the school average the two experimental classes showed improvement shortly after the motivational stimuli were introduced and that they achieved and maintained better than average learning and progress rates throughout the 8-week research period. In contrast, the two control groups statistics were sporadic and overall remained worse than the school average. Based on study findings, it was recommended that statistics of student progress be provided to instructors on a daily basis, that further research on student motivation be undertaken, and that performance praise be integrated into CMI. (LL)