The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to identify and describe the motivation of adult basic education students, (2) to determine if a relationship exists between goals, and (3) to determine how the knowledge of these findings can influence program development. Some 750 adult students were selected from 10 communities in New Mexico. Information was gathered with the use of 2 forms. One form was filled in by the students and consisted of open-end questions designed to get answers on goals, needs, motivation, and student characteristics. The second form consisted of attendance charts kept by the teacher for 12 weeks. Results of this study showed that the students could be grouped into 1 of 3 goals categories: (1) the student who wishes to learn how to speak, read, and write in the English language; (2) the student who wishes to obtain better employment opportunities; and (3) the student who wishes to pass the General Educational Development examination. Findings indicated that attendance and motivation were high in categories 1 and 3 but extremely low in category 2. This led to the conclusion that attendance and high motivation are directly proportional to the nearness or achievability of one's goal. (Author/LS)