MABALACAT CITY COLLEGE SOCSCI 101 | UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

Week No. _7_

Lesson 7: Setting Goals for Success

Sustainable Development Goals: Learning Materials:

SDG 3- Good Health & Well-Being Objects, devices, tech gadgets, or real
objects for content presentation or
SDG 4- Quality Education student activity.

SDG 11- Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG 17- Partnerships for the Goal

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss various theories on goal setting and self-efficacy;

Lesson Preview/Review

Becoming a Better Student.

Overview

All of us have our respective goals. These goals serve as impetus in order for us to work hard and maximize
our abilities. Through this topic, learners will be able to better understand and appreciate the value of goal-
setting towards success, empowerment and self-efficacy.
Concept Notes/Teacher-Led Discussion

The Importance of Goals

John Maxwell once posited these scenarios; Have you tried playing darts without a dartboard? Have you tried
playing basketball without a ring? Or playing golf without a hole?

Simply imagining being in these scenarios is already absurd. Being in such situations, being pointless enough,
does not seem to make any sense.

A life without a purpose is a wasted life. A life without a goal is a pointless life. It said that a person has two
birthdays. One is actual date when one is born and the other is the day when one finds his or her purpose in life.

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While everybody celebrates birthdays yearly, very few people find their purpose in the early stages of their life.
There are some who find their purpose only towards the end of their life while there are some who simply never find
their purpose at all.

A truly successful person finds his or her purpose in life and does everything to fulfill such purpose. Imagine the
futility of throwing darts without a dartboard. Without a dartboard, there would be no clear target at all. Imagine
playing a basketball without a ring. Dribbling the ball and guarding an opponent is senseless when you cannot score
since there is no ring. Imagine the futility of putting the golf ball when there is no hole to ace it in. A life without a goal is
similar to the scenarios enumerated above. Such life is pointless and useless.

Albert Bandura’s Theory of Self-efficacy

In Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory, self-efficacy refers to one’s belief in one’s ability to succeed in
specific situations or accomplish a task. More often than not, one’s sense or self-efficacy can play a major role in how
one approaches goals, tasks, and challenges.

The operative word in the concept of self-efficacy is “belief.” If a person believes in himself or herself, then half
the battle is already won. In fact, some people would even have another word for this- “faith.” If one has faith, then
nothing is impossible.

Bandura enumerated ways to strengthen self-efficacy. These are mastery experiences, vicarious experiences,
verbal persuasion, and emotional and physiological states.

Mastery experiences refer to first-hand or direct experiences that a person acquires. When the frequency of
success is high, there is greater belief in one’s personal efficacy. Likewise, failures discourage one’s belief in
accomplishing a task.

Vicarious experiences emanate from observing people, especially those that one regards as his or her role
models. People choose their own role models. When these models succeed through hard work, this increases one’s
belief that he or she too can succeed.

Verbal persuasion refers to motivation coming from influential people such as parents, teachers, friends,
coaches, and superiors. Statements like “kayang-kaya moyan” and “ikaw pa, maning-manilangyansa’yo” provide very
significant motivation, in such a way that one exerts extra effort so as not to disappoint these people.

Emotional and physiological states refer to the emotional and physiological conditions that a person is in. A
person suffering from depression or undergoing stress will likely have a small percentage of success as compared to
those inspired and motivated.

Carol Dweck’s Growth Theory

Carol Dweck is one of the world-renowned researchers in the area of motivation. She introduced the idea of
mindset which she defined as the implicit theories that individuals hold regarding the nature of intelligent behavior. In
the “fixed” theory of intelligence, people believe that basic qualities such as intelligence and talents are fixed traits. In
the “growth” theory of intelligence, people believe that talent and intelligence are developed through learning, effort,
training, and practice.

In the application of this theory in the academe, teachers must encourage students to have the growth mindset
in order for them to become enthusiastic learners. It must be stressed that intelligence is continuously developed as
one grows. Knowing this creates aa positive impact on the student’s motivation and eventually on their achievement.
Dweck believes that educators must produce confident learners and it can be done by giving positive reinforcement like
verbal praises and recognition for their hard work.

Edwin Locke’s Goal-setting Theory

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Week No. _7_

In the late 1960s, Dr. Edwin Locke conducted the first ever research on goal setting and motivation. In one of
his essays, he mentioned that employees are motivated by clear goals and appropriate feedback. He stressed that
setting aa goal provides a significant source of motivation which, in turn, improves people’s performance.

In Locke’s goal-setting theory, a goal has two sides: (1) the mastergoals where the desire to gain knowledge and
skills are reflected, and (2) the performance goals where the desire to look competent in other people’s eyes is
manifested.

In 1990, Edwin Locke and Gary Latham published a book entitled A Theory of Goal Setting and Task
Performance. In this book, they enumerated the five principles of goal setting, namely, clarity, challenge, commitment,
feedback, and task complexity. Clarity simply means being clear and not vague. A goal must be specific and the person
must set a periodfor its attainment or completion. Challenge means that a goal must trigger the knowledge, skills, and
abilities of a person. A goal should require extra effort for its attainment. Commitment reflects a person’s dedication
towards the attainment of the set goals. Attaining a goal requires sincerity and focus. Feedback serves as a mechanism
to ensure that everyone sharing the same goal is on the right track and all are in the same direction. Everyone’s actions
should be aligned with the set goals. Task Complexity pushes people to take the extra mile and work hard. The more
complicated the goal or task, the higher the motivation will be.

Julian Rotter’s Expectancy Theory

Expectancy theory is focused mainly on the expectations that shape a particular behavior in a particular
situation. Learning creates cognitions, known as expectancies, that guide behavior. A person’s decision to engage in a
behavior is determined by what the person expects to happen following the behavior and the value the person places
on the outcome. For example, parents dedicate a bulk of their savings for the educational plan of their children because
they expect that in doing so, the future of their children is secured. This is also implies that they highly value education.
For Julian Rotter, behavior is determined not only by the kinds of consequences that B.F. Skinner called positive
reinforcement but also by the expectation that a particular behavior will result in those consequences.

Also, in the theory, Rotter classified people’s locus of control into two: (1) internal, and (2) external. If a person
has an internal locus of control, he or she believes that events are controlled by his or her own efforts. People with this
locus of control believe that their achievements and the reinforcements they receive come from the effort they make
for themselves. These individuals “make things happen.” They are active rather than passive. On the other hand, if a
person has an external locus of control, he or she believes that events are determined by external forces over which he or
she has no control. When these types of people succeed, they attribute their success to chance and luck. In the
Philippines, there are unemployed individuals who continue to look for jobs despite the strong competition, or who
submit their resumes even if there is no advertisement from the company; these individuals have an internal locus of
control. There are also people who attribute their failure to be employed to kapalaranor malas.

Success

Success is all about achieving something as a product of one’s initiative and effort. Success is subjective. For
many people, acquiring material possessions such as a house, lot, and a brand new car is success. For others, finishing
tertiary education or graduate studies is already a success. Conceptually, success is not limited to the acquisition of
material possessions or a degree. Success is the feeling of fulfillment of an aspiration or desire. The feeling stays and
becomes a permanent source of pride, then a person may add other goals comprising new targets for success. People
strive for success to capture that feeling of fulfillment- such as feeling that define one’s essence and existence.

King (2004) categorized success into mental, spiritual, personal, career, financial, social, physical, and family
success. Mental success means understanding and accepting one’s intellectual abilities, feelings, and emotions. Spiritual
success equates to having a sound body and spirit. Personal success comes with overcoming one’s physical and
psychological limitations such as overcoming a phobia. Career success entails achieving milestones in one’s career such
as getting one’s “dream job” or the desires and being free from debt and acquisition of material possessions. Social
success reflects the respect and recognition one has from the community. Physical success can mean possessing the
desired qualities of one’s body. Family success is to have a harmonious and happy family. While people are free to aspire

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Week No. _7_

to have all these successes, people cannot “have it all.” But the continuous chase for success makes life more
challenging.

References
Macayan, J.V., Pinugu, J.N., Castillo, J.C. & Ofalia, B. (2019). Understanding the Self (Outcome-Based Module). C & E
Publishing, Inc. 839 EDSA, South Triangle, Quezon City. ISBN: 978-971-98-1071-1CE.

Corpuz, R. M, Estoque, R. S. &Tabotabo, C. V. (2019). Understanding the Self. C & E Publishing, Inc. 839 EDSA, South
Triangle, Quezon City. ISBN: 978-971-98-1184-8.

Corpuz, B. B., Lucas, M. D., Borabo, H. L. &Lucido, P. I. (2015). Child and Adolescent Development: Looking at Learners
at Different Life Stages. Lorimar Publishing Incorporated, Quezon City. ISBN 971-685-721-4.

Estrada, A. T. (2011). Developmental Characteristics Of Young Children. REX Bookstore Inc. (RBSI), First Edition,
Sampaloc, Manila. ISBN 978-971-23-5917-0.

Milagros, F. F. , Mores, E. T. &Mogol, M. A. (2009). General Psychology Simplified. Books Atbp. Publishing Corporation,
Mandaluyong City. ISBN 971-0388-63-9.

OFFICIAL MCC TEACHER’S GUIDE DISCLAIMER

It is not the intention of the author/s nor the publisher of this module to have monetary gain in using the
textual information, imageries, and other references used in its production. This guide is only for the exclusive use
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In addition, this teacher’s guide or no part of it thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, and/or otherwise, without the
prior permission of Mabalacat City College.

Worksheet 7:
A. Write your present goals in life. Enumerate 10 goals and indicate the status of each goal as “not yet started” or “on-
going” including the target year of its attainment. Goals can be related to career, health, relationship, property, or
other things. Then, answer the question that follows.

Goal Status Target Year

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Week No. _7_

What do these goals mean to you? How do these goals strengthen your self-efficacy?

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B. Write an essay about your own definition of success. Provide a creative title to your essay. (minimum of 400 words)

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Week No. _7_

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Compiled by: Prepared by: Recommending Approval: Approvedby:

April Ann L. Galang EDMON Y. SAMPANA, PhD MARILYN S. ARCILLA ,RN, MAN, LPT MICHELLE AGUILAR
- -ONG,DPA
Clerk,IAS Instructor Dean,IAS VPAA