ABSTRACT
Prosocial goals include the desire to intentionally and effortfully enact behaviors that will benefit others. Students who hold prosocial goals are more likely to enact prosocial behaviors. Prosocial goals predict increased academic achievement because prosocial goals correlate with happier students who are more engaged, more collaborative, and more socially accepted in the classroom. Prosocial goals also correlate with helping classmates and cooperating with the teacher’s agenda. Future research should test these correlational relationships with experimental design and explain how prosocial goals support students’ academic, social, and emotional well-being.
