Adult Basic Education (ABE) and the General Equivalency Diploma (GED) programs serve those students who, for whatever reason, have left the educational system without attaining a regular high school diploma. Because of the manner in which they may have left the school system, many have negative emotions and personal agency beliefs hindering their ability to assimilate skill instruction (Ford, 1995). This quasi-experimental study explored the impact of motivational systems theory (MST; Ford, 1992, 1995) applied within an ABE and GED program. The study explored two hypotheses regarding the effect of applying targeted explicit instructional strategies and MST supports for motivation: (1) An MST classroom yields an average pre to post assessment increase in student motivation as measured by the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and the Assessment of Academic Self-Concept and Motivation (AASCM) and an average increase in achievement as measured by the Official Practice Test (OPT), Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) or GED; and (2) The MST treatment group demonstrates higher average motivation levels and higher average achievement levels than the control group as measured by the AASCM, MSLQ and OPT, TABE, or GED. The results of the observations, the treatment classes' motivational data, and the control classes' motivational data all show marked differences between the two groups. Most intriguing was that treatment classes' motivation increased over time, in contrast with the control classes and as supported by literature findings. There are potential implications for future research and for the use of MST and targeted teaching strategies to improve motivation and achievement. [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.]