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Personal Best (PB) goal-setting enhances arithmetical problem-solving

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Abstract

Personal Best (PB) goals are defined as specific, challenging, and competitively self-referenced goals involving a level of performance or effort that meets or exceeds an individual’s previous best. Much of the available research underpinning arguments for PB goal-setting is self-report-based; thus, the causal effect of PB goals on learning outcomes remains in question. The present experiment examined the impact of PB goal-setting (against a no-goal condition) on 68 Year 5 and 6 schoolchildren’s problem-solving during an arithmetic fluency-building activity, SuperSpeed Math. Equivalence of the two conditions was established across a range of prior ability and self-report motivational variables, including prior mathematical ability; Personal Best, Mastery, and Performance goal orientations at the individual and classroom level; mathematics self-concept; and valuing of and interest in mathematics. Controlling for initial problem-solving performance, students who set PB goals in subsequent rounds showed a small but reliable advantage over students in the control condition. These results suggest PB goals may provide a way for students to experience both challenge and success in a range of classroom activities. Suggestions for future research based on these initial findings are made.

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Notes

  1. Reliability coefficients are not provided as these were single-item constructs.

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Acknowledgements

The present study was supported by Discovery Research Project Grant DP140104294.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Paul Ginns

  2. School of Education, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia

    Andrew J. Martin, Tracy L. Durksen & Emma C. Burns

  3. Eastern Health Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Level 2, 5 Arnold St, Box Hill, VIC, 3128, Australia

    Alun Pope

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  1. Paul Ginns
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  2. Andrew J. Martin
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Correspondence to Paul Ginns.

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Ginns, P., Martin, A.J., Durksen, T.L. et al. Personal Best (PB) goal-setting enhances arithmetical problem-solving. Aust. Educ. Res. 45, 533–551 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-018-0268-9

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