Effectiveness of Goal-Setting Training on the Psychological Flourishing of Students

Background: Goal-setting is believed to have an effective role in life owing to certain properties, such as highlighting the importance of individuals’ understanding about their existence and helping them plan for and reach their goals of having a worthwhile life. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of goal-setting training on the psychological flourishing of primary school boy students in 2019. Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The research population included all the primary school boy students in Dowlatabad city, Isfahan province, Iran in 2019. Using convenience sampling, we selected 40 students and randomly divided them into experimental and control groups (n=20 per group). The experimental group underwent nine sessions (90-minute sessions and three sessions a week) of goal-setting training whereas the control group received no intervention. The research tool was Human Flourishing Questionnaire (HFQ). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed in SPSS software version 24.0 to analyze the data. Results: The mean ± standard deviations (SD) of the post-test scores for positive emotion, relationships, meaning, and achievement were respectively 24.58 ± 5.02, 23.05 ± 3.67, 24.05 ± 3.03, and 22.70 ± 3.35 in the experimental group and 21.45 ± 5.29, 18.80 ± 2.87, 19.35 ± 2.97, and 19.15 ± 3.13 in the control group. The results indicated that goal-setting training was effective on the psychological flourish and its parameters of the primary school students (p <0.001). Conclusion: Goal-setting could result in educational life satisfaction among students and provide the opportunity for their psychological flourish and development.