This study explores how mastery and performance goals in the classroom influence students' learning strategies and motivation. Researchers Carole Ames and Jennifer Archer analyzed data from 176 students in an advanced academic high school. Students completed a questionnaire assessing their perceptions of classroom goal orientation, learning strategies, task choices, attitudes, and causal attributions. Students who perceived mastery goals as salient used more effective learning strategies, preferred challenging tasks, had a more positive attitude toward the class, and believed that success resulted from effort. In contrast, students who perceived performance goals as salient focused on their ability, evaluated their ability negatively, and attributed failure to a lack of ability. The study highlights the importance of classroom goal orientation in shaping students' motivation and learning behaviors. Mastery goals emphasize learning and skill development, while performance goals focus on demonstrating ability and achieving high outcomes. The research suggests that classroom environments emphasizing mastery goals can foster adaptive motivation patterns, while those emphasizing performance goals may lead to maladaptive outcomes. The study also found that students' perceptions of classroom goals were related to their use of learning strategies, task preferences, attitudes, and attributions for success and failure. Students who perceived mastery goals as salient were more likely to use effective learning strategies, prefer challenging tasks, and have a more positive attitude toward learning. These findings support the idea that classroom goal orientation significantly influences students' motivation and learning behaviors. The study underscores the importance of understanding how students perceive classroom goals and how these perceptions influence their learning strategies and motivation. It also highlights the need for educators to create classroom environments that emphasize mastery goals to promote adaptive motivation and effective learning.This study explores how mastery and performance goals in the classroom influence students' learning strategies and motivation. Researchers Carole Ames and Jennifer Archer analyzed data from 176 students in an advanced academic high school. Students completed a questionnaire assessing their perceptions of classroom goal orientation, learning strategies, task choices, attitudes, and causal attributions. Students who perceived mastery goals as salient used more effective learning strategies, preferred challenging tasks, had a more positive attitude toward the class, and believed that success resulted from effort. In contrast, students who perceived performance goals as salient focused on their ability, evaluated their ability negatively, and attributed failure to a lack of ability. The study highlights the importance of classroom goal orientation in shaping students' motivation and learning behaviors. Mastery goals emphasize learning and skill development, while performance goals focus on demonstrating ability and achieving high outcomes. The research suggests that classroom environments emphasizing mastery goals can foster adaptive motivation patterns, while those emphasizing performance goals may lead to maladaptive outcomes. The study also found that students' perceptions of classroom goals were related to their use of learning strategies, task preferences, attitudes, and attributions for success and failure. Students who perceived mastery goals as salient were more likely to use effective learning strategies, prefer challenging tasks, and have a more positive attitude toward learning. These findings support the idea that classroom goal orientation significantly influences students' motivation and learning behaviors. The study underscores the importance of understanding how students perceive classroom goals and how these perceptions influence their learning strategies and motivation. It also highlights the need for educators to create classroom environments that emphasize mastery goals to promote adaptive motivation and effective learning.