4.4 Goals: When To Use Various Types of Goals

Based on the differences between the various types of goals, you might be wondering when to use which.

Using Performance Goals

A performance goal is appropriate only if:

• the goal is challenging, but not impossible.
• the person is motivated to reach that goal and finds the goal meaningful.
• the person views their abilities around the goal as flexible and ever-changing and not fixed (Gonzalez-Cutre et al., 2008).
• the goal doesn’t directly compete with the individual’s other goals.
• the task is not overly complex.
• the person already has the required skills and knowledge to achieve the goal.
• the goal doesn’t pit individuals or teams against one another in a way that compromises the common good or a common outcome.

If an individual has the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed, a specific, high performance goal can be appropriate. Performance goals should be challenging enough to motivate the individual. High but realistic goals are OK!

Using Learning Goals

Compared to performance goals, individuals who set learning goals might be less likely to change strategies prematurely mid-goal or push too quickly to attain that specific performance outcome. Learning goals can be helpful when success is hard to quantify or even immeasurable or when mastering a skill or subject matter requires significant time and effort. For example, Kyle would like to be a more present and mindful parent, but how does one know when they are mindful enough? A learning goal around reading about mindfulness and practicing various mindfulness exercises would be more appropriate than a performance goal or SMART goal. When used in conjunction, learning goals can also help put more meaning behind longer-term performance goals. By deepening one’s understanding of a particular skill, they are enhancing their motivation and following through on the behaviors on which a performance goal relies.

Further, since the success of learning goals is based in part on the individual’s ability to reflect on what they have learned, taking time to process their learning, ideally with someone else so they can receive feedback, can lead to even better results (Seibert, 1999).

Using Range Goals

A range goal helps give a jolt of motivation by offering a low, realistic threshold of success and a higher stretch goal simultaneously. Research shows that high-low range goals keep people engaged because they capture both attainability—what’s deemed possible—and challenge—the ultimate aspiration (Scott & Nowlis, 2013). With high-low range goals, the low end can instill a sense of optimism, and the high end can drive people to work harder than they might if they just set a single number performance goal toward the lower end. Meeting a high-low range goal—whether on the low end, high end, or somewhere in between—can lead to a sense of accomplishment, which can motivate people to continue (Scott & Nowlis, 2013). Range goals are appropriate when a person has the skills and abilities to complete the tasks at hand and needs a boost of motivation to get started or make progress. For example, Tina doesn’t always look forward to her workouts, so she sets a range goal to swim between 7 and 10 laps in the pool. 10 is great, but 7 is also a success.

Using SMART Goals

A long-term performance goal—like “I want to graduate with a 3.7 GPA”—can be broken down into weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly subgoals and made dependent on actions or behaviors rather than an outcome by translating it into a SMART goal. For example, an academic SMART goal might be “I will attend all lectures this month and I will go to office hours at least once before each exam. I will utilize peer tutoring and establish a study group in my bio class.” SMART goals can be particularly helpful for health-related goals, as well. This way, success is based on personal achievement of specific actions rather than a measured outcome that may or may not be influenced by a variety of external factors. Translating a health-related goal into a SMART goal puts the power in the individual’s hands to effectively and positively impact overall wellbeing. Setting a high quality SMART goal does rely on whether the individual has a basic understanding of what types of changes or behaviors might be effective and an ability to be a critical consumer of health information so they can sift through recommendations to determine which to work toward.

Student Perspectives: What kinds of goal-setting strategies do you find most effective?

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