The Role of State Goal Orientation in the Goal Establishment Process

This research examined the role of state goal orientation in an integrative model of goal setting and task performance. To test this model, 2 separate studies were conducted: Study 1 examined this model in a sample of 101 undergraduate students completing course examinations, whereas Study 2 tested this model in a sample of 155 participants performing a complex decision-making task. Consistent with the propositions of Kanfer (1990, 1992) and recent research by Chen, Gully, Whiteman, and Kilcullen (2000), both of these studies found that the impact of distal personality traits on performance related variables is likely to be mediated by a more proximal manifestation of the personality trait. More specifically, it was found that dispositional goal orientation influenced self-efficacy through its impact on the formation of a more situation-specific state goal orientation. Implications of these findings as well as suggestions for future research on the personality construct of goal orientation are discussed.