A review of current educational issues related to academic achievement motivation and how motivation can be linked to psychological theory. Ideas such as social learning, learned helplessness, and community connections can be linked to academic achievement. In addition, traditional ideas such as parental influence and socio-economic status have less to do with internal motivation then once thought as we need to understand the complex nature of internal success. We explore what makes the difference between those who are motivated to achieve academically and those who are not.