The study by Carole Ames and Jennifer Archer investigates the relationship between students' perceptions of mastery and performance goals in the classroom and their learning strategies, task choices, attitudes, and causal attributions. One hundred seventy-six academically advanced students from a junior high/high school participated in the study. The results show that students who perceived an emphasis on mastery goals reported using more effective learning strategies, preferred challenging tasks, had a more positive attitude toward the class, and believed that success follows from effort. In contrast, students who perceived performance goals tended to focus on their ability, evaluated their ability negatively, and attributed failure to lack of ability. The findings suggest that a mastery goal orientation may facilitate adaptive motivation patterns, such as the maintenance of effective learning strategies and a positive attitude toward learning, when mastery goals are salient. The study also highlights the importance of how students interpret classroom experiences and the role of perceived goal orientation in shaping their motivational processes.The study by Carole Ames and Jennifer Archer investigates the relationship between students' perceptions of mastery and performance goals in the classroom and their learning strategies, task choices, attitudes, and causal attributions. One hundred seventy-six academically advanced students from a junior high/high school participated in the study. The results show that students who perceived an emphasis on mastery goals reported using more effective learning strategies, preferred challenging tasks, had a more positive attitude toward the class, and believed that success follows from effort. In contrast, students who perceived performance goals tended to focus on their ability, evaluated their ability negatively, and attributed failure to lack of ability. The findings suggest that a mastery goal orientation may facilitate adaptive motivation patterns, such as the maintenance of effective learning strategies and a positive attitude toward learning, when mastery goals are salient. The study also highlights the importance of how students interpret classroom experiences and the role of perceived goal orientation in shaping their motivational processes.