Elementary grade students in a mid-Atlantic state school district have not been meeting academic standards on state assessments. Research indicates that academic achievement is connected to self-directed readiness to learn; however, often the instruction in strategies for student self-directed readiness to learn remains teacher-centered. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if instruction in adult goal-setting strategies would improve students' self-directed readiness to learn. Given its learner-centered focus, Knowles's andragogical model of adult goal-setting serves as a guiding theory together with Twomey-Fosnot's constructivist theory, and Marzano's theory of motivation. The study used a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design with a convenience sample of 27 students in grades 3 through 7 who participated in the instructional program over a period of 5 weeks. Fifteen hour-long sessions designed by the researcher took place during an after-school program. The Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale was administered before and after the 5 weeks of instruction. The result of the paired t-test (2-tailed) was not statistically significant. Possibly, the small sample size and the relatively short duration of instruction may have precluded any significant findings given the slight improvement in self-directed learning readiness for the students who participated in the study. Recommendations include research for this instructional strategy using more control for extraneous variables, a larger sample size, and more formalized instruction embedded into the school day. With further investigation, social change can be enhanced as administrators and teachers recognize the value of adult goal-setting as a means of increasing students' self-directed learning readiness that can positively impact student academic achievement on state-mandated tests. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]