Despite reform efforts, the mathematics achievement of middle school students in America remains below expectations. Research supports the role of motivation in academic achievement and the possible merit of including student perspectives in reform. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to identify, understand, and report seventh grade students' perceptions of motivating factors in the mathematic classroom. A sample of 26 African American seventh grade students responded to an essay prompt and the My Class Activities quantitative survey (Gentry & Gable, 2001). Eight of these students participated in a focus group interview. Descriptive statistics generated by survey responses and key-words-in-context and inductive comparative analyses of essay and interview responses were triangulated to identify student perceptions of their current mathematics classroom and motivating and not motivating learning experiences. Results emphasized the role of the teacher in classroom motivation and the merit of including student voice in the educational decision-making processes. Students perceived high levels of Interest, Challenge, and Enjoyment in their current mathematics classroom, but limited opportunities for Choice. Future research on the motivational construct of Choice was recommended. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]