Three pilot studies are used to examine the relationships between academic performance, student ability, and motivation among community college students. The first study analyzed the association between motivation and academic performance in order to test the hypothesis that students who are highly motivated will earn higher grades. Results indicate that the relationship between level of motivation and academic performance fluctuate throughout the semester. The second study examined the relationship between students' attribution of success and academic performance, in order to explore beliefs held by students, the antecedents to students' beliefs, and how the beliefs are related to actual academic performance. The findings suggest that students who attribute academic performance to internal factors such as self-ability and hard work earn higher grades than those who do not. The third study addresses the notion that the affective state is an indirect measure of motivation. In order to test this relationship, a model was developed that integrated achievement motivation theory with a two-dimensional approach to emotion. The results illustrate that students who report feeling confident and enthusiastic before a test perform better on the exam than students who express feelings of anxiety or worry. The combined results of these studies can be useful to those developing "Freshmen Year Experience" courses at community colleges. (Contains 10 tables.) (SKF)