Setting goals to beat previous efforts improves educational outcomes. And the gains are bigger for disadvantaged students
SETTING goals to try to outdo your previous best effort is known as growth goal setting or personal best goals. It is fundamentally focused on self-improvement, such as investing more time or effort in a task than before or striving to achieve a higher result in the next test than the previous one. ANDREW J. MARTIN, Scientia Professor and Professor of Educational Psychology, UNSW EMMA BURNS, Lecturer, Macquarie University KEIKO C. P. BOSTWICK, Research Officer, UNSW REBECCA J COLLIE, Scientia Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, UNSW Research over the past decade into approaches like these in education has shown it…