Student Conferencing, Goals, and Perceptions of Success

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative research project was to study how individual student conferencing could impact student’s perceptions of individualized goal attainment. The study took place in a public Montessori elementary school in a suburban Midwestern city. In total, twenty students in grades four through six participated in the study; students ranged in age from nine to twelve years old. Over the course of the study, data was collected through two surveys and individual student conferences in which students were asked to set academic as well as work habit goals. These goals were intended to be worked on throughout a twelve day work cycle, until the students’ next individual conference with the teacher. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through the pre and post study surveys as well as the individual student conferences. The results of this data show that a majority of students in the study report that individual student conferences help them achieve their goals. This study also examined another question regarding how these conferences can inform teaching practices as the teacher gains knowledge and insight throughout the process of surveying and conferencing with students.