• Part I. The Future and its Discontents: Prospects for building the future; The failure to learn: A motivational analysis; A moral tale; Part II. Motives as Emotions: Need achievement; The model: B = M x P x I; Analysis and critique; Further educational implications; Part III. Motives as thoughts: Cognitions versus emotions; Analysis and critique; Educational implications; Conclusions; Part IV. Self-Worth and the Fear of Failure: Self-worth theory of achievement motivation; An arsenal of excuses; Motivated cognitions and coping; Conclusions; Part V. Achievement Anxiety: A brief history; Integration; Reducing anxiety; Conclusions; Part VI. The Competitive Learning Game: The structure of learning; Scarcity of rewards; Competition and minorities; Conclusions; Part VII. Motivational Equity and the Will to Learn: The problem; Solutions; Global gambit; Conclusions; Part VIII. Strategic Thinking and the Will to Learn: What is thinking?; The evidence; Strategic problems; Problem discovery; The transfer of knowledge; Analysis and conclusions; Part IX. An Immodest Proposal: Serious games; Playing school; Schools and jobs; Prospects and conclusions; Part X. Obstacles to Change: The myths of competition; If not competition, then what?; Conclusions; Appendices; References; Index.

'This is a worthy book which revivifies one of the most tired topics in educational psychology. On its first page, Peter Drucker is quoted thus: 'We know nothing about motivation. All we do is write books about it.' On reaching its final page this has been totally contradicted: by reading this book you will know a good deal about motivation particularly as an antidote for learners in cynical modern educational contexts. With Covington motivation is always a fresh topic.' Tom Phillips, Vocational Aspect of Education