Goal setting and academic performance Could this psychological

Goal setting and academic performance. Could this psychological skill influence study planning positively? A QUANTITATIVE APPROACH

Goal Setting • Psychological skills improve sport performance. • Other life settings ? ! School. • Goal setting can improve study planning – academic performance.

Importance • Academic performance concerns all the school community. • Children do not know exactly how to work. • No support at home. • Why goal setting help? • Activities can motivate children to become familiar with goal setting. • They will learn how to set learning goals. • Through their progress self-esteem.

Background • Goals direct behavior and provide guidelines for how much effort to be put into work for an expected result. • Goals provide a form of motivation in which persons compare current with previous performance. • Goals promote cognitive functions (memory and concentration). • Provide opportunities to see what didn’t go well and try again. • Induce arousal and reduce boredom. • Specific, realistic & difficult goals & feedback.

In a Previous study Participants • 20 students from 2 last grades of an elementary school. • 10 girls & 10 boys. • They collected randomly after the ethical approval. • Selection had not to do with their knowledge level.

Procedure Intervention program. • It lasted for 3 months, 3 times a week. • During P. E lessons participants attended different activities from other students. • Before each physical activity they set personal goals and they wrote them down. • After the end of each PE lesson they discussed about how they will use this technique in their study planning.

Measure & Measurement 1. Improvement in study planning. 2. Questionnaire (10 open & close questions). ◦ Effective preparation at home. ◦ Improvement or not.

Hypothesis 1. This psychological technique will have a positive impact in study planning ( children will be more concentrated). 2. More self-confident. 3. They will complete their lessons in a short time. 4. Academic performance will be improved.

Limitations • Kids may not be honest in their answers. • Small sample. • We can’t check if children would apply this technique at their home for their study planning.

Results Using this technique o. Children were more concentrated to their lessons. o. They had extra free time for outdoor activities. o. They were more sure about their selves during exams o. They reported better marks at some lessons.

References o. Khiat. H, 2015. Academic performance and the practice of selfdirected learning: The adult student perspective. Journal of Further and Higher Education. o. M. F. Salman, *M. O. Esere, J. A. Omotosho, O. E. Abdullahi & S. O. Oniyangi, 2011. Effect Of Two Psychological Techniquws In Improving Academic Performance Of Secondary School Students IN Mathematics. o. Dompnier. B, Darnon. C and Butera. F, 2013. When performance-approach goals predict academic achievement and when they do not: A social value approach. The British Psychological Society.

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