Goal Orientation in Education: Enhancing Learning and Achievement
Goal Mastery
26-Oct-2023
'Knowledge is power'! We all agree with this, but did you know the combination of knowledge and goal can be a great power for us?
Even with an education, when we do not have a goal in life, our Education would be of little use as we would not be able to utilize our learning anywhere. Having an objective in life is very important because we remain focused, are clear about what we are doing and going to do, become more confident, and are headed toward success. It's now up to us to choose between a purposeful future or aimlessness and suffering. Everyone loves to rest, but procrastinating and ignoring our responsibilities will destroy us only in the future.
Learning and Goal Orientation
Right from childhood, we are taught the interrelation between learning and goal orientation. In schools, we learn that we should always have a goal in life and must continue learning to achieve that goal. We should not feel pressured to decide on a career path early in life. Instead, we should explore different options and pursue what we truly enjoy. Let us see a bit more.
Why is learning important for goal orientation?
We must gain knowledge when pursuing a goal as it guides us on the correct path.
Goal Orientation is a crucial part of Education, as when we have a career goal, we can work towards and keep learning in that direction.
When we study, if we have a goal, we get a purpose for why we should work hard towards it.
Education is a broad terminology. One of the reasons why we set goals is because it's impossible to learn everything we want to in just one lifetime. Goals give us clarity in our pursuit of success.
Setting Goals as a Student
When we are young, our primary goal is limited to scoring well in school, but as we grow up, we realize we have to enter this competitive world and make a career for ourselves. That is when we see the need to set a goal in life. Our parents, teachers, and society emphasize the importance of hard work for a successful career. When we leave school, we must have a clear goal to determine our path.
Why is Setting Goals important in Student Life?
● It helps us to become more focused as we know the direction we are going in life.
● When we have a goal in life, we are no longer aimless, and we have something to work for.
● It creates a winning attitude within us, so we become more passionate about everything we do.
● Confidence starts to be instilled within us, which helps to build our personality.
● It helps us to build success strategies for ourselves.
● It helps us to become a better version of ourselves.
The art of discipline starts to instill within us.
How to Set Goals as a Student?
When setting goals, there are two types to consider: short-term and long-term.
Short-term goals are something that we want to conquer within a short period, like within a year. For example, scoring good marks in the coming exam, submitting assignments on time, attending classes, completing projects on time, etc.
Long-term goals are those that we aim to conquer in the future, in a period of 3 to 30 years or even longer. For example, getting a good CGPA for the academic year, passing a competitive exam, completing a degree, getting a job in a particular field, etc.
These are general examples, but we can write our goals according to our ambitions.
Organizing our objectives into Short-term and Long-term
plans can aid in maintaining clarity of thought. Additionally, it can assist in keeping track of our progress and achieving our goals.
How do you implement success strategies as a student?
Maintaining a proper success strategy is very important to achieve goals.
As a student, managing time can be a challenging task, as we have to juggle many things simultaneously. However, implementing a proper success strategy can help us divide our time effectively, enabling us to make the most of our day.
Suppose you are a student and aim to achieve good grades in your exams. However, you have a lot of commitments like attending school, tuition classes, and other activities that leave you with little time for self-study. In such a case, you can maintain a journal to track how you spend your time. By recording your daily activities, you can analyze how you spend your time and find opportunities for self-study. It may seem like a very random thing, but trust me, it is an excellent technique to help yourself be accountable. After you have examined where you spend your time, you can now adjust your routine to a more disciplined one so you can complete your tasks.
When we prioritize disciplined and timely completion of tasks, we become exceptional students and avoid procrastination. Regularly attending classes, completing assignments, and studying helps to stay on track and prevent
last-minute stress.
How do we maintain a balance between Goals and Life?
Surprisingly, only a few people discuss this other important factor. As we begin our journey into adulthood, we are expected to exhibit discipline, work hard towards our goals, focus on our studies, and tirelessly strive to build our careers. It's crucial to bear in mind that this period of our lives is fleeting and will never return. When we are young, our energy is at its peak; we are observant and have the opportunity and time to indulge in extra-curricular activities. The privilege our body is giving us right now would not be the same forty years from now. We do have much time right now, but to be honest, as compared to when we get older, the time and responsibilities we have on us are way less. A person with only academic knowledge would not be good enough for this world compared to the one who focuses on other things too, like health, extra-curricular activities, learning new skills, etc. Working hard towards our goal is good, but we should also bear in mind not to exhaust ourselves in the process. So, maintaining a balance between working hard to achieve our goals and enjoying our present is vital to living a happy and contented life.