Goal Setting and Implementation Intentions to Improve Educational Outcomes

Citation

Cowell P (2020) Goal Setting and Implementation Intentions to Improve Educational Outcomes. Building Resilient Learning Communities: Using Evidence to Support Student Success. QAA 5th International Enhancement Themes Conference. https://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/docs/ethemes/conference/goal-setting-and-implementation-intentions-to-improve-educational-outcomes.pdf

Abstract
The success of any student’s engagement with an educational programme is inherently determined by the student’s own learning behaviour. This paper presents an overview of a project that seeks to break new ground in creating a nexus between the research areas of behavioural economics, the economics of education and pedagogy. Across institutions and subjects, educational outcomes can be improved by nudging student behaviour towards deeper and structured learning approaches to improve educational attainment. This project consists of a field experiment conducted in an introductory undergraduate module at a UK university to test whether goal setting and implementation intentions can improve student engagement with learning material, student wellbeing through earlier preparation for assessment, and student academic attainment. In the context of an increasing financial burden faced by students in higher education, increasingly resource-aware universities and a much more diverse student population, behavioural nudges offer a unique and powerful opportunity to support students to be better learners and, as a result, the opportunity to improve student attainment.