1. Achievement Motivation: Learning Objectives
Understand the benefits and risks of seeking success and of seeking to avoid failure
Exhibit awareness of your own achievement motivation profile
Apply principles of Achievement Motivation theory to your own chosen activities

2. What Motivates You? (aka what dominates your thoughts and feelings?)
Seeking success? Avoiding failure? Fearing success?
Start with prompt to get students thinking about this topic.

3. Motive to Achieve/Avoid Failure
Needs Achievement Theory (Atkinson & Feather, 1966)
Playing to win vs. playing “not to lose”
Higher motive to achieve is preferable
Motive to avoid failure also has value
“Fearing” versus “hating” failure
(Is a difficult task a threat or a challenge?)
Introduce the theory that separates achievement motivation into two areas of success and failure. The last point is to note that the emotional state of the learner plays a large role on how his/her thoughts influence the effect of their motivational profile.

4. Articles to Review
Provide these links to students prior to the class discussion and review at this point during the course

5. Focus on Achieving Success
Mental energy steered towards task at hand
Attention to task rather than outcome
e.g. rephrasing questions vs. impressing interviewers
High confidence in ability to succeed
Finding the fun or fascinating part of the task
Not afraid of failure
*Identifying shortcomings is a positive
Consider consequences of failure only if
motivation is waning
This slide notes the upside of focusing more on achieving success than on avoiding failure. We note that fear of failure can boost motivation, and it can serve that purpose in a useful way when motivation is low. However, when students are already hyper-motivated, thinking about failure can push them past the optimal point and lead to decreased performance and increased distress. 5

6. “Success is never final, and failure is never fatal
“Success is never final, and failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts.”
“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.”
John Wooden,
Quotes from John Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach, who was known as a great motivator and for unprecedented success.

7. Motive to Achieve/Avoid Failure
Mach
Mach
Mach
This slide presents several motivational profiles and illustrates that achievement motivation and motive to avoid failure are independent aspects within a related domain.
Maf
Maf
Maf
Favored player/
Student on probation
Hot & cold/
Selective effort
Ideal Profile

8. How Big is the Task? (What’s at Stake?)
These two images are included to illustrate two perspectives on the importance of a task. The first suggests that the consequences of the choice or result will be long-lasting (taking a different road). The second suggests that the next move is important, yet it will be followed by other tasks and choices on the way to a long-term result.

9. Applying these Concepts
Review completed “Achievement Motivation Worksheet”
Discuss with Classmates
Review and Revise
Factors to Consider
How realistic are your expectations?
Are your strengths and weaknesses controllable?
Is there a difference between you performance and your value as a person?
This slide can be used to guide the discussion around the worksheet. For the best learning effect, cover the factors to consider between the first and second iterations of the worksheet. 9

10. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
Add this as the next major topic in motivation
Give an overview of the terms, as well as related concepts (mastery vs. learning goals, task vs. ego orientation, process versus outcome focus)
Provide an activity to explore 10