Abstract

Based on the Cha(1983)'s four-component theory of motive, two scales(male and female scales) were developed, which were intended to measure a person's tendency to approach failure(TAF). The new scales' cross-validated reliability coefficients(Cronbach α) ranged from .78 to .79. The scale scores appeared to be independent of the scores for approach-to-success and avoidance-of-failure, respectively. The independence of the TAF scales from the remaining 3 components of achievement motive, however, seemed not complete, since moderate positive correlations were obtained between the TAF scales and avoidance-of-success scores. As expected, the TAF scores were negatively correlated with the academic records and the I.Q.s of senior high school students. The validity of the TAF scales was partially demonstrated by the fact that problem-students, under-achievers and juvenile delinquents tended to score high on the scales compared to normal high school students.