Objective To discuss the features of achievement motivation and explanatory style of college students with different academic performance.Method A questionnaire-based research was conducted on 165 college students with poor academic performance and 148 college students with excellent performance respectively with the achievement motivation scale and explanatory style scale.Results For the college students with poor academic performance

their scores of motive to pursue success and explanation of positive emotion were lower than those of students with excellent academic performance while their scores of motive to avoid failure and hope for disadvantageous events were higher than those of students with excellent academic performance

and the difference was statistically significant（P<0.05 or P<0.01）.The score of explanation of positive emotion for male students with poor academic performance was higher than that of female students and the difference was statistically significant（P<0.01）.Conclusion As for college students with poor academic performance and excellent students

there are differences between their achievement motivation and explanatory style.