Within the student motivation and self-system literature there is general agreement that students' self-concept and self-efficacy levels are both an outcome and an influence on students' behaviour and actions, there is, however, significant debate pertaining to five questions: 1. Can instruments be designed to measure students' self-efficacy and effort in the domains of mathematics and reading? 2. What is the effect of gender on students' levels of self-concept, self-efficacy/effort, self-handicapping and academic achievement? 3. What is the inter-relationship between academic achievement and the self-variables of self-concept, self-efficacy/effort and self- handicapping for students? 4. Is there an interaction between students' self-handicapping levels and their behaviours and motivations? Self-handicapping refers to actions that individuals engage in which are against the students' best interest. 5. Do structural self-concept program (such as, Exploring Self- Concept) alter students' self-concept scores on self-concept measures? This research has focussed on these five questions by exploring five issues: (1) the design of two academic self-efficacy/effort measures; (2) a semi-longitudinal investigation of the relationship of gender to self-concept, self-efficacy/effort, self-handicapping and academic achievement; (3) a semi-longitudinal investigation of the inter-relationship between academic achievement and the self-variables of self-concept, self-efficacy/effort and self-handicapping for students; (4) a semi-longitudinal investigation of students' level of self-handicapping in relationship to academic achievement; and (5) an examination of the effectiveness of a program called Exploring Self-Concept on students' self-concept formation. What is unique about this study is that this procedure was enacted on two populations of participating students, one in the primary school settings (n = 264) and the second in the high school setting (n = 133). Participation was voluntary with the study given ethical approval from the relevant university and school authorities and as well from the parents of the students involved.