Offering Choice

Many of us take for granted the ability to make choices throughout our day. Being able to have these opportunities to make decisions is an integral part of what allows individuals to function together within society (Stafford, 2005). Students, on the other hand, spend the majority of their school day following the directions given by their teachers. Often, students are not given many opportunities to make decisions about what they are learning, where they are learning, how they are learning, or with whom they are learning. This lack of autonomy can hinder a student’s motivation, academic and behavioral performance, as well as active engagement (Patall et al., 2010). Giving students choices is a simple, effective antecedent strategy for preventing problem behavior before it occurs and increasing desired behavior (Kruger et al., 2016). It has also been shown to have positive effects on students’ social and academic behaviors (Ramsey et al., 2010). Choice is one of several factors crucial to supporting feelings of autonomy, motivation, and balanced functioning. Students are more intrinsically motivated to persist at a task when the activity involves their personal choice (Patall et al., 2010). Further, students with disabilities, and those considered at-risk, are often more limited in their opportunity for choice (Kruger et al., 2016). However, research has shown that students who exhibit a low interest in a specific task or domain as well as minimal motivation to complete the task, tend to respond very well to being offered a choice (Flowerday & Schraw, 2000). 

Teachers can implement task choices or consequence choices. Task choices are those choices in which the student selects a preference for completing a required task. There are four main types of task choice teachers should consider when lesson planning and determining routines and activities (see Figure 1). These four types include: the location of where the task is completed, the way in which the student completes the task, the material(s) used to complete the task, and order or sequence in which tasks are completed. Consequence choices are the selections a student makes for what is to occur after the required task is completed. For example, upon completing a math worksheet the student can select between iPad time or arts and craft time.

For learners who have a more severe or intense disability, teachers may find it challenging to implement choice. The individual may not fully understand the skill of selecting a preference, he or she may change mind frequently, or appear as though he or she does not want the selection that was made (Stafford, 2005). In these situations, teachers are encouraged to conduct a preference assessment in order to determine the student’s likes and dislikes. Preference assessments tend to be a necessary initial step for implementing behavior strategies, like offering choice (Roscoe & Fisher, 2008). Preference assessments help teachers identify reinforcers, or desirable items, for individuals who have difficulty communicating these desires directly (Weldy et al., 2014).  

Offering choice most closely aligns with the social/emotional/behavioral High Leverage Practice (HLP) # 7 – establish a consistent, organized, and respectful learning environment.