There are growing concerns about adolescent academic performance, in particular the fact many are disengaged and disinterested. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of student choice on student intrinsic motivation and student achievement. More specifically, this study assessed to what extent giving middle school students choice in classroom math assignments had an effect upon their academic achievement.

The participants were 67 seventh-grade students from two academic teams in a middle school located in northern Illinois. In addition, the participants included the students’ math teachers, one from each team. One team, the control group, did not receive choice in their math assignments. The other team, the experimental group, did receive choice in assignments.

The research questions that guided the study address academic achievement, students’ sense of autonomy, relatedness and competence as they relate to intrinsic motivation, and teachers’ perceptions on using choice in the classroom. Quantitative data was collected through textbook chapter tests and nationally normed benchmarks. Qualitative data was collected through focus group interviews with the student participants and interviews with the two participating teachers.

Results from the quantitative data indicate that choice can have a positive effect on academic achievement. The experimental group that received choice consistently made greater gains than the control group.

Results from the qualitative data indicate that offering choice to students does enhance their sense of autonomy, relatedness and competence, key components of intrinsic motivation. The results also indicate that students intuitively desire autonomy and choice. The results also reveal that teacher style, specifically autonomy-supportive behaviors, plays an important role in the comfort level students have with being offered choice.