This paper describes a study that examined relationships among students' goals, efficacy beliefs, news-seeking behavior, and current events knowledge. The study expands on previous work on students' achievement related goals by examining the effects of goals and self-efficacy on knowledge of current events, a sub-domain of social studies. A sample of students from four middle schools and nine high schools (n=1148) completed a current events test, and a motivational inventory in May 1993. The sample was 50 percent male and 50 percent female, and 55 percent of the students studied current events in school as part of a course. Using path analysis, the researchers found that males in middle schools are more self-efficacious toward the news, while males in high schools are more performance oriented and seek news outside of school more than females. The study found that grade point average (GPA) is related positively to holding mastery goals toward the news for high school, but not middle school students. In both samples, mastery and performance goals only have indirect effects on knowledge, through either efficacy beliefs or news seeking behavior. In both samples, students who study current events in school are less mastery oriented than those who do not study the news in school (Author/DK)