
A Hopeful Plan
Students complete a goal-setting process that includes a wish or goal, an imagined outcome, and plans for what to do if they encounter setbacks.
Students complete a goal-setting process that includes a wish or goal, an imagined outcome, and plans for what to do if they encounter setbacks.
Students will:
WISH
OUTCOME
OBSTACLE
PLAN
*Instructional note: If working with younger children, consider slowly working through the WOOP steps as a whole group, first. Ask a student to volunteer a wish, or you can share your own wish or goal. After creating one WOOP together as a group, invite students to work on their individual plans in pairs, if needed.
Consider the following options:
This practice is drawn directly from a research intervention described in the following peer-reviewed article:
Duckworth, A. L., Kirby, T., Gollwitzer, A., & Oettingen, G. (2013). From fantasy to action: Mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII) improves academic performance in children. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 4(6), 745–753. https://doi.org/10.1177/194855061347630
Researchers found that economically disadvantaged fifth-grade students who participated in the WOOP (wish, outcome, obstacle, plan) exercise were more academically successful than their counterparts who participated in a different WOOP activity (i.e., outlining a wish, outcome, another outcome, and then imagining the positive feeling they would experience after they met their outcome).
More specifically, the group who created a plan for navigating obstacles significantly improved their grades, attendance, and behavior at school when compared with the positive thinking group. (Both groups, however, repeated their respective WOOP exercises two more times–during follow-up sessions two weeks and three months later.)
Hope is an action, and a muscle that we can grow to propel ourselves into better versions of ourselves as learners. Hope features two forms of thinking: pathway and agency. Pathway thinking focuses on picturing a way forward, along with alternative routes. Agency thinking involves believing in one’s capacity to meet goals through motivation and persistence.
This exercise guides students to imagine a successful outcome (agency thinking) along with a way to navigate potential obstacles (pathway thinking). However, a review of multiple studies shows that pathway thinking, this ability to think through and map out an implementation plan (i.e., “If this happens, then I’ll try this…”), supports students in meeting their goals most effectively.
Further research indicates that hope-based, goal-setting processes like these can potentially be powerful enough to positively influence grade point average, regardless of socio-economic status. When students experience hope through agency and pathway thinking, they are more likely to perceive obstacles and stressors as challenges rather than threats. In fact, students higher in hope also report greater motivation and engagement in school.
Do you want to dive deeper into the science behind our GGIE practices? Enroll in one of our online courses for educators!
Comments