Development and evaluation of a measure of the tendency to be goal oriented

Abstract

This paper describes the development and evaluation of a 15-item, self-report measure of the tendency to set goals and make plans. A series of studies provided evidence of reliability and validity. The internal consistency of the scale ranged from 0.81 to 0.83; 3-week test-retest reliability was 0.82. Evidence of scale construct validity included significant associations in the expected direction with measures of several theoretically related constructs, including the number of goals one has, impulsivity, need for achievement, instability, hopelessness, depression, and official GPA. Another validity finding indicated that college students receiving psychotherapy had significantly lower goal orientation as measured by the scale than other college students. A treatment study produced evidence that goal orientation and official Grade Point Average (GPA) increased significantly in university counseling center clients who received training in goal setting and planning. The results provide initial evidence that the goal-orientation scale has promise as a measure of a psychologically significant construct.