Influence of inner-city environment and Head Start experience on effectance motivation.

Effectance motivation was examined in 26 inner-city children attending Head Start, 26 inner-city children with no preschool experience, and 26 middle-class children attending private preschool. Head Start children scored higher on measures of effectance motivation than did their non-Head Start counterparts; their levels were lower, however, than those of the middle-class children. Implications of the findings are discussed.