The amount of Worry and Emotionality components among pupils in Grade 6 with different motivational and cognitive characteristics was examined. A number of interactions indicated that the influence of both cognitive factors, i.e., ability and Future Time Orientation, and motivational factors, i.e., the achievement motives, on amount of Worry and Emotionality increased significantly as the perceived instrumentality (importance) of the school activity increased. Since it is the worry component which normally reduces quality of performance, one way to reduce worries at school for the pupils of low ability, the failure-oriented (highly anxious) pupils, the low future time-oriented pupils, and the girls, is to reduce the importance of the activity.
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