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ERIC Number: EJ1086332
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2165-8714
EISSN: N/A
The Beneficial Effects of Non-Received Choice: A Study on Intrinsic Motivation in Biology Education
Meyer, Annika; Meyer-Ahrens, Inga; Wilde, Matthias
European Journal of Educational Research, v2 n4 p185-190 2013
Previous research has found conflicting evidence in studies where students participate in the selection of their course topics in educational settings. Katz and Assor (2007), for example, have argued that the increase in student motivation is probably not due to the mere act of choosing, but to the value of the options with respect to personal interest. The aim of our study was to investigate the impact of choice on aspects of motivation during biology lessons. Our sample consisted of five classes with 118 children of whom 63% were female. Their average age was 10.4 years (SD = 0.6). One group of students was asked to select one topic out of four in a majority vote during a biology class, while a control group was simply assigned the same topic. Results: Students who chose their topic reported a higher level of intrinsic motivation than students who were not given the option. A surprising result was that the students in the voting group who did not receive their preferred choice reported the same level of motivation as those who did.
Eurasian Society of Educational Research Association. Ataturk District 70.Str. No:15 Gaziantep, Turkey 27260. Tel: +90-342-2116792; Fax: +90-342-2116677; e-mail: editor@eu-jer.com; Web site: http://www.eu-jer.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 5; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools; Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A