A study was initiated to determine effective teaching strategies for the art education of low achieving students. A review of literature on academic drive yielded five mechanistic models that provided explanations for low-achievement drive. The key factors in these models were avoidance, time gradients, extraneous stimuli, prolonged deprivations, high activation, and directedness. Using research related to the avoidance model, a research design was planned around activities that made no reference to past performance, and emphasized short-range goals, little decision making, high interest levels, and freedom from competition and achievement standards. The treatment variables were the use of conventional versus unconventional art media. Students in the conventional media groups used clay, linoleum for printmaking, colored pastels, tempera paint, and wax crayons. The unconventional media were aluminum foil, styrofoam objects, cardboard tubes, wooden dowels, colored acetate sheets, and other materials not usually purchased for art class use. The research subjects were 40 males between the ages of 11 and 17 from three youth service institutions. Pretesting indicated that the subjects were matched in performance prior to the treatment. Posttest analysis showed that the unconventional media group had a significantly higher level of participation in artistic production, suggesting a relationship between chosen media and the motivation of specific populations of youth to engage in prescribed art activities. (FG)