The article deals with researches into formative and motivating effects of the appraisal of pupils by teachers. Such appraisal currently influences the pupil’s performance and attitudes to schooling on the hand, and has long-term formative effects in the area of motivation prerequisites for further learning activity on the other. In this respect it is necessary to distinguish various forms of school appraisal according to quality, e. g. formal evaluation (good — bad), matter-of-fact evaluation (appraisal expressed in terms of the content of learning activities). On the basis of researches by E. Hurlock, L. Vučičová, V. Hladká and V. Linhartová the author formulated and verified, in the course of experimental lessons, two fundamental hypotheses on formative and motivating effects of positive and matter-of-fact evaluation, and those of formal and negative evaluation. To verify the hypotheses, the author used a projection questionnaire and a non-standardized didactic test. Pupils who, in 'the course of experimental teaching, were evaluated positively and in a matter-of-fact way predominantly focused their attention on the content of the lessons, which became apparent in the motivating dispositions linked with the content of teaching. Pupils influenced formally and negatively were gradually losing their interest in schooling, their learning activity had a falling tendency. These pupils tended to make the teacher responsible for their failures.