Promoting Goal Setting: An Experimental Study of Positive Psychology in an EFL Context

Abstract

The present quasi-experimental study addresses the impact of a Character Strength Based Positive Psychology Intervention (CSBPPI) on Goal Setting (GS) of TEFL university students in Iran. In so doing, the study utilized an experimental design with 18 participants in the control group and 18 participants in the experimental group which totalled 7 male and 29 female students. The pretest showed that the participants of the two groups were homogenous with regard to their proficiency level as well as their goal setting. Data was collected over five months using Erickson et al. (2015) goal setting questionnaire before and after an MA course. The results of the post-test revealed that PP has a positive and significant impact on learners’ goal setting. The findings from this research suggest positive paths from positive psychology to understanding, managing and successfully setting the goals.