Part of a collection of papers commissioned by Foundations (a project designed to determine the career development needs of deaf postsecondary students), the paper reviews research on student motivation. The first section addresses research on normally hearing students in classrooms with different motivational orientations. Advantages and disadvantages of classrooms with autonomous, competitive, cooperative, and intrinsic motivational orientations are identified. Problems facing hearing impaired students in each of the classroom types are noted. Low self-esteem, less developed senses of personal responsibility, and fear of rejection by peers in competitive situations are cited as potential reasons for the difficulties of hearing impaired students under the different orientations. The need for developing techniques to help students establish positive but realistic expectations of themselves in autonomy-oriented settings is suggested. Practical approaches to helping hearing impaired students feel more comfortable in competition-oriented classrooms are discussed, such as establishing a minimum grade for the course. The lack of data on hearing impaired students in cooperation-oriented classrooms is also noted. (CL)