Goal Setting

Goal setting was developed out of social-cognitive theory and involves an individual setting a standard for his or her performance, monitoring, and evaluating the performance against the standard. First, a task for improvement is identified. A goal for the task is then decided upon and recorded for the task. The goal can be set collaboratively with a therapist, teacher, or a parent. Alternatively, the child may set the performance goal. A time frame, or point at which performance will be evaluated, is identified. Goal achievement is evaluated, with the child examining present performance [Page 868]against the goal. For example, on-task behavior for math homework could be targeted. A goal for 10 math problems completed in 10 minutes could be negotiated. At the end of 10 minutes, the parent and child will evaluate if the goal has been met.

Goals can be graduated, or broken down into smaller steps, with more challenging standards set with successful goal attainment at the easier steps. Goals are thought to affect performance through direction of attention, energizing behavior, persistence during the task, and discovery and use of strategies relevant to the task. It also is hypothesized that in response to the monitoring, children will correct strategies and set goals that match their performance; therefore, performance and goal-setting ability will improve over time.