Having Many Choice Options Seems Like a Great Idea, But . . .

Abstract

Many educators today emphasize student engagement and self-regulated learning, including giving students choices. However, research suggests that too much choice can have negative consequences such as feelings of stress and regret. An experimental design wherein students were offered different numbers of choice options when previewing, as in a syllabus or other course description, a major class project in a hypothetical Retailing Management course, examined the effects of within-course choice on perceptions of the course. The results indicate that, before they are required to engage in the course choices and make an actual decision, students prefer to have more choice. This is evidenced by their perceptions of the course’s desirability and value to their future careers, perceptions of the quality and fairness of the course instructor, and emotional reactions to the level of choice. However, when required to engage in the choice, students responded more positively to having fewer choices. Likewise, students not as interested in marketing responded more positively to having less choice. These results are more in line with findings from past research, showing that more choice can have a negative effect.