An Investigation into Target Setting and Academic Tutoring to Promote Student Learning

There has been a move in schools towards the use of pupil performance data to set targets. It is believed that effective target setting can motivate pupils and staff to strive to reach, or beat, target grades. Alongside this has been a move to promote more effective dialogue about learning between teachers and pupils through the use of academic tutoring. There is a belief that in combination a system of target setting and academic tutoring might lead to more effective learning, increased achievement and therefore school improvement. This investigation into one system of target setting and academic tutoring suggests that although these systems may promote increased achievement in terms of examination performance, they do not necessarily help students to learn more effectively. For this schools must attempt to develop in ways that make learning an explicit subject of discussion, and help students learn about learning. Therefore, it is on the development of student meta–learning that such school improvement efforts should focus.