This study examined the impact of two interventions on goal attainment: Goal attainment scaling (GAS) and coaching. Participants identified a goal they were motivated to pursue over the course of approximately 4 weeks. Half the participants received coaching to support their goal attainment and half did not, while all participants were randomly assigned to either a GAS or No-GAS condition. GAS is an interview technique in which the researcher (1) discusses how the goal articulated connects to the participant's "big picture" objective and (2) identifies potential "micro" outcomes that are specific and behavioral. GAS is a recognized outcome assessment technique originally created for the mental health field (Kiresuk & Sherman, 1968) but has been applied in numerous contexts over the past forty two years, including educational settings (Schlosser, 2004). It has been suggested that the technique may facilitate the goal attainment of participants, and recently that GAS may work well with coaching (Spence, 2007). This study was the first to examine the intersection of the two techniques' influence on goal attainment. Results indicate that the effectiveness of the interventions depended on the type of goal articulated by participants (career versus personal), whether it was a "big picture" or "micro" goal, and the degree of conscientiousness of participants.
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