Guide to Setting Effective Goals

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*Every blog post will be about articulating the main points of a research article or chapter to be useful for students and teachers. It will start with a quote, and then summarize an article in one to two paragraphs, ending with the citation. I hope these well-researched tips are useful to you!

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"Although establishing a goal seems like a relatively straightforward endeavor, it is actually a very nuanced process." - (Cleary, 2018)

A goal is generally defined as “the aim or object of one’s actions,” (p62). A goal represents the desired result of performing an activity. Setting goals prior to learning is important. Students that set and pursue goals that consider choice, attention, effort, and persistence promoting specific, task-related strategies support student learning.

Goals that are specific, self-generated, congruent with other goals, organized hierarchically, are moderately challenging, conscious, and process-oriented are the most beneficial. As such, goals can be evaluated based on level of specificity (specific vs. general), their hierarchical structure (short term vs. long term), level of temporal proximity (immediate vs. distal), level of difficulty (easy vs. challenging), and their focus (outcome vs. process). Goals that are specific, short term, immediate, attainable, and are focused on the process are more motivating to learners.

Cleary, T. J. (2018). The self-regulated learning guide. New York, NY: Routledge.

#goals #goaltheory #goalsetting #selfregulatedlearning