The Effect of Easy and Difficult Goal Setting on Acquisition and Retention of Basketball Free Throws in Children with Mental Retardation

Goal setting is a motivational item that is usually used for enhancing sport skills learning. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of easy versus difficult goals on acquisition and retention of basketball free throws in educable children with mental retardation (AWMR). A total of twenty one AWMR educable students (aged between 8 and 13) were assigned to either a difficult or easy goals group. Participants exercised the task for nine sessions across acquisition phase. Both groups performed a pretest before the acquisition sessions. Acquisition tests were taken during acquisition phase, and immediate and delayed retention tests were also taken after 2 and 10 days of no practice respectively. We performed statistical analyses with a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), and an independent t test. Results showed that easy goal setting group significantly improved their performance in acquisition and retention phases (P