The effects of choice in the classroom: Is there too little or too much choice?

Abstract

Motivation is a subject that is constantly discussed in the field of education. Teachers are taught not only to teach their students, but to motivate them to want to learn. As students get older, intrinsic motivation tends to decrease; therefore it becomes more difficult for teachers to motivate students (Ryan and Deci, 2000a). According to self-determination theory (Ryan and Deci, 2000a, 2000b), students' needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness must be met in order to experience positive social development and growth. When these needs are met, students experience high levels of self-motivation. Offering choice in the classroom is one way to increase student motivation by appealing to students' needs for autonomy and competence. In the fields of marketing, economics and social psychology, decision-making research is examined as a way to shape consumers' preferences. This literature review will aim to utilise and possibly translate some of these findings to an educational setting. By examining the aspect of choice in separate fields, it can be seen that there is still much to be researched in the field of education. Recommendations for future research on choice in the field of education are made.

The Promise of Portfolios: Training Modern Data Scientists

“…Allowing students some choice in what they work on results in a diverse set of portfolio products that better reflect the individuals in the class. Practicing skills in a context relevant to students' own interests and goals can also help motivate them (Beymer & Thomson, 2015). In the seminar, students picked from a selection of assignments related to the content of the class each week.…”

Motivating adolescents to read

“…When students have opportunities to exercise their autonomy and make choices while learning, their intrinsic motivation increases (Guthrie et al, 2004). They take ownership and try harder than students who are not provided choices (Beymer & Thomson, 2015). Providing choice leads to outcomes such as increased effort, improved task performance, perceived competence, and preference for challenge (Patall et al, 2008).…”

Using Student Choice for Engaged Learning in Sport, Tourism, Recreation, and Live Entertainment Education

“…Autonomy-supportive actions include behaviors such as providing choice and minimizing the use of controls (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Providing choice may be the most obvious way to support a person's experience of autonomy (Patall et al, 2008) and choice in the classroom has usually been found to promote autonomy among students (Thompson & Beymer, 2015). Though it is difficult to determine how many higher education faculty utilize student choice or how often, the few studies investigating the scope of the practice found opportunities for student choice were infrequent (Bozack et al, 2008).…”