Two studies were conducted to examine teachers' and young children's perceptions of persistence in classroom settings. In the first, 35 elementary school teachers responded to interview questions about (1) the appropriateness of persistence in relation to other strategies children could use to accomplish difficult tasks, (2) children's characteristics (i.e., age, skill level, and emotional state), and (3) tasks that influence expectations for task persistence. In the second study, the question format was altered to be more suitable for young children and the same issues were examined with 52 black preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade children. Both teachers and children generally believed that age, skill level, and emotional state are important considerations for the encouragement of task persistence. In addition, both teachers and children believed that requests for help were appropriate responses to difficult tasks. There was, however, some disagreement about the relative appropriateness of seeking help from others versus persisting without help as a response to task difficulty. (Implications of these findings for achievement motivation research and classroom practices are discussed.) (MP)