nts in particular to adopt ability-focus goal orientations when they attribute academic errors to the student's lack of intellectual ability, or offer unsolicited assistance (Dweck, & Leggett, 1988; Graham, 1991). Because ability-focused classes seem to produce detrimental effects, it is important to see how gender and ethnicity affect student perceptions of this factor (cf. Graham, 1992; 1994). Student's perceptions of course meaningfulness, or relevance to their personal lives, can also contribute to their overall satisfaction and performance in a course (Schunk & Meece, 1992). Although both males and females cite course meaningfulness as one of the major sources of their motivation and enjoyment (Gorham & Christophel, 1992), females tend to place even more importance on this factor. In fact, research indicates that a primary reason females tend to value and enroll in courses is because the courses seem relevant to their lives and will thus make them more well-rounded (Wilson, Stocking & Goldstein, 1994). Furthermore, African-American students have named lack of course meaningfulness as an important reason that they drop out of school (Garibaldi, 1992). These gender and ethnic differences need more scrutiny so that their effects may be clarified and fully understood.Research relevant to ability-based classrooms has focused to date almost entirely on elementary school classrooms, with little emphasis on gender differences. The same is true for the effects of student perceptions of competition in the classroom, as well as the meaningfulness of classes. And while gender differences in this regard have seldom been examined, even fewer studies of ethnic differences in classroom perceptions have been reported (Graham, 1992; 1994). Accordingly, the purpose of this study was threefold: first, to examine whether gender and ethnic differences exist in college students' classroom perceptions and motivation; second, to investigate how classroom p...
