Goal Setting and Personal Success

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In today’s ever changing world of education, students need to be taught how to take ownership of their learning. Goal-setting is a tool which can be used to increase student’s responsibilities in creating intrinsic ownership in their own learning (Madden 1997). Dale Schunk, an education specialist (2009), found that when successful people had been interviewed about their successes, they attributed goal-setting and self-discipline as two of their major keys to success. The ideas of setting goals and attaining them as a form of success on a personal level are tangible. A psychological study conducted in 2007 (Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., & Tice, D. M.) demonstrated how intrinsic and personal setting and achieving goals are to the “self” which effects self-efficacy, self-image, and personal success. Goal setting, however, is not typically taught in education. Goal-setting could prove to be highly beneficial to students at all grade levels. Many students, especially at a high school level are motivated by outside factors, such as grades, and teacher persuasion. There is, however, a lack of goal setting exercises found in education as a whole. Schunk (2009) stated that it is important to teach students how to set goals in a classroom, so that they learn how to set goals in their own personal lives. Starting goal-setting practices earlier in life, and especially in the education setting, will promote goal-setting as a life-long skill. “Goal setting also is a key component of self-regulation, or the process by which students activate and sustain cognitions, behaviors, and affects systematically oriented toward the attainment of goals (Zimmerman&Kitsantas, 2009).” The practice of goal setting can stimulate student cognition and be... ... middle of paper ... ...(4), 4-8 Madden L. E. (1997). Motivating students to learn better through own goal-setting. Education 117, 411-415. Schunk, D. H. (2003). Self-efficacy for reading and writing: Influence of modeling, goal setting, and self-evaluation. Reading and Writing Quarterly, 19, 159-172. Schunk, D. H. (2009). Goal Setting. Education Online. Retrieved from http://www.ndt-ed.org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Goal_Setting.htm Stipek, D.J. (2002). Motivation to Learn: Integrating Theory and Practice.Pearson Education Inc. 2002. Ed, 100-102 Tollefson, N., Tracy, D. B., Johnsen, E. P., Farmer, A. W., &Buenning, M. (1984). Goal setting and personal responsibility training for LD adolescents. Psychology in the Schools, 21, 224-233. Zimmerman, B.J., &Kitsantas, A. (2009). Attaining Self-Regulation: A Social Cognitive Perspective.Handbook of Self-regulation. Academic Press, 13-39

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