Relationship between Academic Goal Setting and Academic Achievement among Secondary School Students in Kenya

Abstract

Academic success is regarded as a crucial component of both individual and societal success. Students who thrive academically have an opportunity to pursue higher education and have a high possibility of finding employment. A majority of the secondary schools in Sigowet/Soin Sub County have been registering below average mean scores in KCSE. The problem has continued to persist despite the abundance of research literature on the factors that can be addressed to improve academic achievement. This raises concerns on the external validity of the findings and the robustness of the methodologies used. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between academic goal setting and academic achievement among form three students in Sigowet/Soin Sub County. The study was guided by goal setting theory by Lock and Latham (2002). Correlational research design also guided the study. The target population for this study was 36564 form three students in 32 public secondary schools in Sigowet/Soin Sub County. Purposive, proportionate, stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used to select 12 secondary schools and 380 students. Data were collected using academic self-goal setting scale. Academic achievement of the students was obtained from end of term examination results. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Pearson product moment correlation analysis and regression analysis were used to test the research hypotheses. The results revealed existence of a moderate positive and significant relationship between academic goal setting and academic achievement, r (382) = .55, p < .05. On the subscales of academic goal setting, the personal growth goals sub scale had a moderate positive and significant relationship with academic achievement, r (382) = .50, p < .05. On academic improvement goals, results revealed that there was a moderate positive and significant relationship with academic achievement, r (382) = .57, p < .05. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education and curriculum developers should incorporate academic goal setting in students learning content to enhance students’ academic achievement.