GOALS & GOAL
ORIENTATION
Needs Drive Human Behavior


Murray
Maslow
Importance of goals & goal setting on
motivation









Goal setting is a key motivational process.
Learners with a goal and a sense of self-efficacy for attaining it engage in
activities they believe will lead to goal attainment.
Goal attainment can lead learners to adopt new goals.
Goals that are proximal, specific, and moderately difficult offer the greatest
motivational benefits.
Motivation is enhanced when learners are enthusiastic about the goal and are
determined to attain it.
Self-set goals often motivate better than assigned goals.
Goals that are imposed may not motivate if people believe they are too far
beyond their skill levels.
It is critical that learners believe that with reasonable effort and persistence they
can attain their goals.
Group goals can enhance motivation when group members accept the goal – when
members support the goal and each member has some responsibility for goal
attainment.
Motivation = Goals X Emotions X Personal Agency Beliefs
Goal content



Refers to the desired or undesired consequences of a particular
goal.
Could be assessed by asking people what they want, what they are
trying to accomplish, and why they did something.
Intrapersonal Goals/Desired-Within-Person Consequences




Affective goals
Cognitive goals
Subjective Organization goals
Interactional Goals/Desired-Person-Environment Consequences



Self-assertive social relationship goals
Integrative social relationship goals
Task goals
Applying Goal Content Theory in the
Classroom




Help students activate a relevant goal for
completing a task.
Ensure that goals that are activated are clear,
compelling, and presented in such a way that
students understand what they need to do to
accomplish them.
Help students activate multiple goals.
Create appropriate emotions that facilitate
motivation.
Goal Orientation Theory




The purposes or reasons for engaging in
achievement behaviors.
An integrated pattern of beliefs that lead to
different ways of approaching, engaging in, and
responding to achievement situations.
Reasons why we pursue achievement tasks, not just
the performance objectives.
A type of standard by which individuals judge their
performance and success or failure in reaching the
goal.
Mastery Goal-Orientation


A focus on learning, mastering the task according to
self-set standards or self improvement, developing
new skills, improving or developing competence,
trying to accomplish something challenging, and
trying to gain understanding or insight.
Affect, cognitive, and behavior outcomes
Performance Goal Orientation


Represents a focus on demonstrating competence or
ability and how ability will be judged relative to
others; for example, trying to surpass normative
performance standards, attempting to best others,
using social comparative standards, striving to be
the best in the group or class on a task, avoiding
judgments of low ability or appearing stupid, and
seeking public recognition of high performance
levels.
Affect, cognitive, and behavior outcomes
Approach/Avoidance Orientations




Approach-Mastery Orientation
Avoidance-Mastery Orientation
Approach-Performance Orientation
Avoidance-Performance Orientation
Applying Goal Orientation Theory in
the Classroom











TARGET: task, authority, recognition, grouping, evaluation, and time
Focus on meaningful aspects of learning activities.
Design tasks for novelty, variety, diversity, and interest.
Design tasks that are challenging, but reasonable in terms of students’ capabilities.
Provide opportunities for students to have some choice and control over the activities
in the classroom.
Focus on individual improvement, learning, progress, and mastery.
Strive to make evaluation private, not public.
Recognize student effort.
Help students see mistakes as opportunities for learning.
Use heterogeneous cooperative groups to foster peer interaction; use individual
work to convey progress.
Adjust time on task requirements for students having trouble completing work; allow
students to plan work schedules and time lines for progress.