Students, who understand where they are in their learning, can determine where to go next to accomplish targeted learning goals. Studies have documented that students with clear, written goals are significantly more likely to succeed that those without clearly defined goals. Ferguson and Sheldon (2010) found that there is an interaction between the level of initial goal-relevant skills and the effectiveness of writing “why” or “how” of the goals. Students with initially low goal-relevant skills were more likely to internalize their goals over time and reported greater goal expectancies if they wrote about the “how” of the goals. Students should receive feedback about their goals from their teacher. Through this collaborative process students learn how to set productive and achievable goals.

Reference: Ferguson, Y.,  Sheldon, K.M. (2010). Should goal-strivers think about ‘why’ or ‘how’ to strive? It depends on their skill level. Motivation and Emotion, 34, 253-265.