Setting, elaborating, and reflecting on personal goals improves academic performance.
Dominique Morisano1, Jacob B Hirsh, Jordan B Peterson
1Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. morisano@gmail.com
The Journal of Applied Psychology
|March 17, 2010
Summary
A goal-setting program helps struggling university students improve academic performance. This intervention offers a quick, effective, and inexpensive solution for students facing academic difficulty.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Student Success Interventions
Background:
- A significant percentage of students (25%) in 4-year universities do not complete their degrees.
- Key factors contributing to early departure include poor academic performance and a lack of defined goals and motivation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of an intensive, online, written goal-setting program.
- To determine if this program positively impacts the academic achievement of at-risk undergraduate students.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 85 undergraduate students experiencing academic difficulty.
- Participants were assigned to either a goal-setting intervention group or a control group.
Main Results:
- Students who participated in the goal-setting program showed significant improvements in academic performance over a 4-month period.
- The intervention group outperformed the control group in academic achievement.
Conclusions:
- An online, written goal-setting program is a viable intervention for improving the academic success of struggling undergraduate students.
- This method provides a rapid, cost-effective, and efficient approach to support student retention and achievement.
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