Will we succeed? The science of self-motivation is the title of an article describing a new study related to goal-setting and motivation.
In a nutshell, the study found that people who wrote their goal as a question (“Will I…?”) as opposed to writing it as a statement (“I will…”) were more successful at achieving their goal.
Here are some excerpts from the report:
By asking themselves a question, people were more likely to build their own motivation.
The results of this experiment showed that participants not only did better as a result of the question, but that asking themselves a question did indeed increase their intrinsic motivation.
I think I can how this might work. Asking yourself a question sort of requires a stronger affirmation than just stating a goal.
I use a lot goal-setting activities in my class (see My Best Posts On Students Setting Goals). Next year, I think that I might try this new idea in one or two of them. For example, when students make posters highlighting their goals they can frame them as a question, along with their answer (“Will I read a harder book this month? YES!”).
It can’t hurt.