Preservice Teachers on Their Way to Becoming Reflective Practitioners: The Relevance of Freedom of Choice in Research-Based Learning

According to self-determination theory, the feeling of autonomy during learning is a prerequisite for intrinsically motivated learning. Applied to research-based learning in teacher education, choices in designing a research project for the school context might foster a researching-reflective attitude toward practice. This hypothesis was tested with a sample of 1,133 preservice teachers in a program at a large German university. Undergraduate students were surveyed regarding their beliefs about a reflective teaching practice at the beginning and the end of their research course, as well as the nature of freedom of choice within their project work. Multiple regression analysis showed that freedom for students in choosing the research instrument was positively associated with their beliefs about the benefits of conducting research for their teaching practice.