Examines self-handicapping and defensive pessimism, the factors that predict these strategies, and the associations between these strategies and a variety of academic outcomes. Findings reveal that task orientation negatively predicts both self-handicapping and defensive expectations and positively predicts reflectivity. Students high in self-handicapping received lower end-of-year grades and were less likely to be in attendance one year later. (Contains 66 references, 4 tables, and an appendix.) (GCP)