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1 reference
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- Vol 4 RE: Chapters 5, 8, 17, App C
- Vol 4 TE: App C
- Vol 7 PE: App D
goal settingtask motivationgoal commitmentself-efficacyperformance feedbacklearning goalsself-regulationtask complexityJournal article Evidence summaryAt a glance
Locke and Latham synthesise thirty-five years of goal-setting research into a practical theory of motivation and task performance. Across many laboratory and field studies, specific and difficult goals generally produce higher performance than vague encouragement or easy goals, provided people have sufficient ability, commitment, and resources.
Key ideas
Goals influence action by directing attention, mobilising effort, increasing persistence, and prompting the discovery or use of task strategies. Important moderators include feedback, goal commitment, self-efficacy, task complexity, and situational constraints. The authors also explain when learning goals may be preferable to immediate performance goals, especially on complex or unfamiliar tasks where people must first acquire effective strategies. They integrate goals with satisfaction, incentives, participation, and self-regulation, while identifying limits and areas for further research.
Why it matters
For education, the review supports clear, challenging goals paired with progress information and strategy support; simply assigning demanding targets without building competence or commitment can be ineffective.
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Edition abbreviations
- TE
- Teacher Edition
- PE
- Practice Edition
- RE
- Research Edition
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