METAANALYSIS OF THE ANTECEDENTS OF PERSONAL GOAL LEVEL AND OF THE ANTECEDENTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF GOAL COMMITMENT

Meta-analyses were conducted to examine the antecedents of personal goal level, and the antecedents and consequences of goal commitment based on 78 goal-setting studies. Meta-analyses of the antecedents of personal goal level indicated that prior performance and ability were significantly related to personal goals whereas knowledge of results had a marginally significant relationship with personal goal level. The relationships of three antecedent variables with goal commitment were found to be statistically significant (i.e., self-efficacy, expectancy of goal attainment, and task difficulty), whereas task complexity had a marginally significant relationship with goal commitment. The results of the meta-analyses on the consequences of goal commitment showed goal commitment to significantly affect goal achievement. A model was developed that integrated the results of the meta-analyses with conceptually derived variables and relationships.