Be SMART: Promoting goal setting with students at-risk of early school leaving through a mentoring program

Mentoring programs are a very popular tool in educational contexts. Over the years, many schools have been using mentoring programs to improve academic adjustment and counter the disengagement of students at risk of early school leaving. Since 2016, the Portuguese Ministry of Education has implemented a universal educational policy focused on the implementation of mentoring sessions in public schools. This policy targets students older than 12 years old with multiple school retentions and diverse characteristics likely to place them at risk of early dropout. In the context of this policy, a school-based mentoring program to promote SMART goal-setting skills through the training of self-regulation was developed to be implemented with elementary and middle school students at-risk of early dropout. The 20-session program was implemented over two school terms. Throughout the program, we conducted a multiple case study to examine how students’ goals and SMART goal-setting processes may change after their enrollment in the mentoring program. Students’ goals were collected pre- and post-program through the fulfillment of life map diagrams. Post-program overall data indicated that most students set more academic and fewer non-academic goals. However, a granular analysis showed that a group of older students (17 years old) did not set any academic goal in both pre- or post-program moments; furthermore, only younger students (aged between 12 and 16 years old) integrated SMART characteristics into their academic goals. Limitations and future research directions, as well as implications for practice, are provided.