The more that educators understand about student motivation, the better that teachers can tailor their pedagogy to prepare students for the job market. The purpose of this study was to acquire a more complete understanding of what drives secondary students and how student motivation and development relate to effective teaching. It is hoped that an…

The causal role of students' self-efficacy beliefs and academic goals in self-motivated academic attainment was studied for 102 ninth and tenth graders (50 males and 52 females) using path analysis procedures. Perceived efficacy to achieve motivates academic attainment both directly and indirectly by influencing personal goal setting. (SLD)