In this article the authors introduce the development of a hierarchical theory of self-determination and the theory of target orientations, showing their explanatory potential on to motivate students. The article presents the theoretical provisions of different approaches, and gives some examples of their use for the analysis of student motivation. The theory of self-determination in its expanded version proved to be more productive when studying and explaining the motivation of students due to the existence of a well-developed typology of reasons that motivate the learning activity, universal needs, and the levels of functioning of motivation. At the same time, the theories under consideration are essentially complementary, since they focus on different aspects of the educational motivation: the theory of target orientations focuses on the goals of students' participation in educational activities, while the hierarchical theory of self-determination refers to the analysis of the reasons for involvement in the learning process. The study of motivation occupies an important place in the studies of education, since it allows to explain the behaviour of students in educational institutions. Empirical studies have shown that the level of educational motivation is one of the key factors affecting the involvement of students in academic activities and their academic achievements Motivation is defined through the behaviour exercised by the individual, considering it as a source and regulator of activity. The outcome of the article can be of interest both for humanities and arts as well as for science teachers and researchers. The authors see the advantage of hierarchical theory of self-determination that explains the dynamics and genesis of various types of motivation through the isolation of its three levels - situational, contextual and global. The choice of the theoretical framework of the research depends on what aspects of the learning motivation are to be studied.