Goal Setting Instruction for Middle School Students Who Receive Services for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Abstract

Early adolescents entering middle school are at a pivotal developmental phase as they become less dependent on parents/guardians and seek greater autonomy while encountering a complexity of social demands requiring them to regulate their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors to achieve academic and social success. Yet, students who receive services for emotional and behavioral disorders often struggle with their emotions and externalizing behavior, contributing to a lack of motivation to attain their goals. Fortunately, researchers have found goal setting plays an important role in improving students’ self-regulation skills. As such, we describe explicit instructional techniques that align with a phased goal setting process to bolster students’ intrinsic motivation and self-regulation. First, we underscore the significance of goal setting to amplify students’ motivation and fostering self-regulation that, consequently, can create positive changes in their behavior. We provide a step-by-step guide for educators to assist students in committing to and achieving their goals.