To determine the relationship between eighth grade students' motivation to study and the number of hours they spend in viewing television, a study interviewed 210 eighth-grade students in central Georgia concerning their daily television viewing habits. Subjects completed the Wells-Bledsoe Motivation Checklist and provided information about their families, and home and school activities. Information was also obtained concerning intelligence scores and scores on a standardized achievement test. Results showed a slight difference in the number of hours of viewing time per day and per week between white and non-white boys and girls. The relationship between total number of hours viewing time and motivation was insignificant. Monday viewing, however, correlated significantly with positive motivation scores in a stepwise regression analysis. (Four tables of data and 14 references are appended.) (MM)