14.2 Theories of motivation Achievement motivation: the generalized tendency to strive for success and to choose goal-oriented, success/failure activities. Achievement-motivated students will persist longer at a task than students less high in achievement motivation, even after they experience failure, and will attribute their failures to lack of effort rather than to external factors such as difficulty or luck. In short, achievement-motivated students want and expect to succeed, and when fail, they redoubt their efforts until they do succeed.14.2 Theories of motivation • Achievement motivation:the generalized tendency to strive for success and to choose goal-oriented, success/failure activities. Achievement-motivated students will persist longer at a task than students less high in achievement motivation, even after they experience failure, and will attribute their failures to lack of effort rather than to external factors such as difficulty or luck. In short, achievement-motivated students want and expect to succeed, and when fail, they redoubt their efforts until they do succeed