This book started as a symposium on Achievement Motiva tion at the 1978 American Educational Research Association Convention. The participants in that symposium were Jack Atkinson, Martin Maehr, Dick De Charms, Joel Raynor, and Dave Hunt. The subsequent response to that symposium indicated a "coming of age" for motivation theory in terms of education. Soon afterward, at a Motivation in Education Conference at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, it became apparent that due to this emergence of motivation what was needed was a comprehensive perspective as to the state of the art of achievement theory. Achievement theory had by now well surpassed its beginnings in the 1950s and 1960s and was ready for a composite presentation and profile of the recent research and theories of motivation. Thus, this volume was born. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each contribu tor to this book as well as Robert L. Linn who critically reviewed several of the manuscripts. Thanks are also due to my former graduate advisors, Martin L. Maehr, Maurice Tatsuoka, and Harry Triandis, for the viewpoints given me in graduate school education which I hope have benefitted this under taking. Joyce Fitch did a splendid joh typing many of these chapters and special gratitude should be given to Judy Cadle of Professional Services, Inc. for the composition and proofing of this book.