Module # 9 Learning to be a Better Student:

Setting Goals for Success

GE SocSci 1- Understanding the Self
Summer 2019-2020

PART 3 MANAGING AND CARING OF THE SELF

Module 9 Learning to Be a Better Student: Setting Goals for Success

At the end of this module you are expected to

(1) conduct yourself effectively in different situations as well as convey
ideas and thoughts to others;
(2) identify your natural qualities and behavior and assess your natural
qualities and behavior;
(3) identify the specific intelligences that one can develop to be
successful;
(4) determine the critical factors that contribute to growth and
personality development
(5) explain the principles in making critical decisions in one’s life;
(6) fully use your talents, abilities, and decision-making skills to become
responsible citizens; and
(7) explain the role of motivation in facilitating academic success.

Learning to Be a Better Student

1. What happens during learning? Brain and Behavior Changes
• What is Learning?
o Behavioral. Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior
brought about by experience or practice.
o Cognitive. Learning is a relatively permanent change in mental
processes brought about the knowledge and experience.
Prepared by: Nissin Agutaya
Email: eglagutaya@cpu.edu.ph
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Module # 9 Learning to be a Better Student:
Setting Goals for Success
GE SocSci 1- Understanding the Self
Summer 2019-2020

• Three Kinds of Learning

o Classical Conditioning—learning in which a neutral stimulus acquires
the ability to produce a response that was originally produced by a
different stimulus.
o Operant Conditioning—learning in which the consequences that
follow some behavior increase or decrease the likelihood of that
behavior’s occurrence in the future.
o Cognitive Learning—learning that involves mental processes, such as
attention and memory, may be learned through observation or
imitation; and may not involve external rewards or require the
person to perform any observable behavior.
• Intelligence: Why can’t psychologists agree on a definition?
o Two-Factor Theory (Spearman)- Intelligence has two factors:
a) general mental ability,
b) specific mental abilities
o Triarchic Theory (Sternberg)- Intelligence can be divided into three
different kinds of reasoning processes:
a) analytical or logical
b) problem-solving skills and
c) practical thinking skills.
o Multiple Intelligence Theory (Gardner)-There are at least nine kinds
of intelligence:
a) Verbal-linguistic intelligence- ability to think in words and use
language to express meaning.
b) Logical-mathematical intelligence- the ability to carry out
mathematical operations; the ability to handle long chains of
reasoning; and the sensitivity and capacity to discern logical to
numerical patterns.
c) Spatial-visual intelligence- the ability to think in images,
pictures or three-dimensional figures as well as the capacity to

Prepared by: Nissin Agutaya

Email: eglagutaya@cpu.edu.ph
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Module # 9 Learning to be a Better Student:
Setting Goals for Success
GE SocSci 1- Understanding the Self
Summer 2019-2020

perceive the visual-spatial world accurately and perform

transformations on
d) Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence- it is the ability to be physically
adept in manipulating objects, controlling one’s bodily
movements, and handling objects skillfully.
e) Musical-rhythmic intelligence- it refers to the sensitivity to
pitch, melody, rhythm and tone; the ability to produce and
appreciation of the forms of musical expressiveness.
f) Interpersonal intelligence- it refers to the ability to understand
and interact effectively with others, as well as the capacity to
discern and respond appropriately to the moods,
temperaments, motivations and desires of others.
g) Intrapersonal intelligence- it is characterized by the ability to
understand oneself; the knowledge of one’s own strengths,
weakness, desires and intelligences; as well as the
understanding of one’s own feelings and the ability to
discriminate among them and draw upon them to guide
behavior.
h) Naturalist intelligence- it is the ability to observe patterns in
nature and understand natural and human-made systems;
sensitivity to the differences among diverse species; and the
ability to interact subtly with living creatures.
• Contributors to Intelligence
a) Heredity
b) Environment

2. Metacognition and Study Strategies

• Fourteen Intelligent Behaviors
a) Persistence
b) Overcoming impulsiveness
c) Listening to others
d) Flexibility in thinking
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Email: eglagutaya@cpu.edu.ph
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Module # 9 Learning to be a Better Student:
Setting Goals for Success
GE SocSci 1- Understanding the Self
Summer 2019-2020

e) Metacognition (awareness of how one is thinking)

f) Checking for accuracy and precision
g) Questioning and problem-posing
h) Applying past knowledge to new situations
i) Precision of language and thought
j) Using all the senses
k) Creativity
l) Living with a sense of wonderment
m) Cooperation
n) Sense of Humor
• Motivation- is the force that moves people to behave, think and feel the
way they do. Motivated behavior is energized, directed, and sustained
(Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2002)
a) Evolutionary Theory- motivation for sex, achievement, aggression
and other behaviors is rooted in the organisms’ evolutionary past
(Buss, 2000)
b) Drive Reduction Theory- This theory explains that organisms are
driven by physiological needs. A need energizes one’s drive to
eliminate or reduce the deprivation.
c) Optimum Arousal Theory- The Yerkes-Dodson Law states that the
performance is at its highest under conditions of moderate arousal
rather than high or low arousal. Factors that affect arousal:
▪ Kind of task
▪ Personal Characteristics
▪ Sensation-seeking- motivation to experience varied,
novel, complex and intense feelings and experiences.
d) Cognitive Approach- cognitive factors determine motivation level.
▪ Extrinsic motivation- outside factors such as rewards and
punishment
▪ Intrinsic motivation- internal factors like self-
determination, curiosity, challenge and effort.
Prepared by: Nissin Agutaya
Email: eglagutaya@cpu.edu.ph
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Module # 9 Learning to be a Better Student:
Setting Goals for Success
GE SocSci 1- Understanding the Self
Summer 2019-2020

Setting Goals for Success

1. The Importance of Goals
• Success is defined as the state of accomplishment or achievement resulting
from an endeavor.
• King (2004) raises three important questions you can ask yourself to help
you understand life itself:
1. What is my life for?
2. What do I want to happen to my life?
3. How can I achieve it?
• Personal Mission Statement- presents one’s own personal philosophy or
belief that states his/her objectives in life and he/she wants to accomplish
them.
• King (2004) adds that there are specific goals, which when combined
together, make one big goal called success.
1. Mental/emotional success
2. Spiritual success
3. Personal success
4. Career success
5. Financial success
6. Social success
7. Physical success
8. Family success
2. Theories on Goal Setting
• Bandura and Self Efficacy- self-efficacy is "the belief in one’s capabilities to
organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective
situations." In other words, self-efficacy is a person’s belief in his or her
ability to succeed in a particular situation.
• Dweck’s Mindset Theory (Growth vs Fixed)- “In a fixed mindset student
believe their basic abilities, their intelligence, their talents, are just fixed
Prepared by: Nissin Agutaya
Email: eglagutaya@cpu.edu.ph
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Module # 9 Learning to be a Better Student:
Setting Goals for Success
GE SocSci 1- Understanding the Self
Summer 2019-2020

traits. They have a certain amount and that's that, and then their goal
becomes to look smart all the time and never look dumb. In a growth
mindset student understand that their talents and abilities can be
developed through effort, good teaching and persistence. They don't
necessarily think everyone's the same or anyone can be Einstein, but they
believe everyone can get smarter if they work at it.”
o For example, if you say, “I'm not a math person” then that belief acts
as an easy excuse to avoid practicing math. The fixed mindset
prevents you from failing in the short–run, but in the long–run it
hinders your ability to learn, grow, and develop new skills.
o Meanwhile, someone with a growth mindset would be willing to try
math problems even if they failed at first. They see failure and
setbacks as an indication that they should continue developing their
skills rather than a signal that indicates, “This is something I'm not
good at.”
o As a result, people who have a growth mindset are more likely
maximize their potential. They tend to learn from criticism rather
than ignoring it, to overcome challenges rather than avoiding them,
and to find inspiration in the success of others rather than feeling
threatened.
• Locke’s Goal Setting Theory- Set specific and measurable goals, rather than
keeping outcomes general. The best way to feel motivated is to push
yourself to do something that you’re not 100% certain you can achieve.
Tackling challenging goals headfirst allows you to work hard, develop your
skills and reap the rewards in terms of positive feedback and a sense of
personal achievement.
• Locke and Latham’s Five Principles of Effective Goal Setting
1. Clarity
2. Challenge
3. Commitment
4. Feedback
5. Task Complexity
Prepared by: Nissin Agutaya
Email: eglagutaya@cpu.edu.ph
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Module # 9 Learning to be a Better Student:
Setting Goals for Success
GE SocSci 1- Understanding the Self
Summer 2019-2020

3. Managing Your Own Learning: Self-regulated Learning and Goal

Setting Guidelines
• William Gracian (2005) gives following advice in pursuing one’s goal
1. Have a clear purpose.
2. Be totally committed.
3. Reiterate your goals
4. Write down your goals
5. Record your achievement
6. Create a well-defined plan
7. Work on your goal, step by step, day by day.
8. Review and evaluate.
• 9 Best Scientific Study Tips
o See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p60rN9JEapg
• Handling Failures.
o Failure is the inability to achieve one’s goals. It is said that an
experience of failure makes one stronger, provided that he/she
knows how to apply the lessons gained from that episode.
• King (2004) provides guidelines on how to deal with failure gracefully:
o Zero in on failure. Separate the concepts of failing at a task and
failing as a person.
o Find out exactly went wrong.
o Change your attitude or mindset towards failure
o Come up with a failure strategy
o Look for good alternatives to what you are doing
o Make effective decisions to avoid repeating the same mistakes
o Visualize the effects of your decision

Prepared by: Nissin Agutaya

Email: eglagutaya@cpu.edu.ph
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Module # 9 Learning to be a Better Student:
Setting Goals for Success
GE SocSci 1- Understanding the Self
Summer 2019-2020

References:
Brawner, D. G. (2018). Understanding the Self. C & E Publishing, Incorporated
Clear, J. (2013, June 24). Fixed Mindset vs Growth Mindset: How Your Beliefs

Change Your Behavior. James Clear. https://jamesclear.com/fixed-mindset-vs-

growth-mindset

How Self Efficacy Helps You Achieve Your Goals. (n.d.). Verywell Mind. Retrieved

June 14, 2020, from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-self-efficacy-

2795954

Locke’s Goal Setting Theory—What Are the 5 Key Principles? (2017, December

13). Peakon. https://peakon.com/blog/future-work/edwin-locke-goal-setting-

theory/

Prepared by: Nissin Agutaya

Email: eglagutaya@cpu.edu.ph
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