Theoretical Framework
What is Autonomy?
Before I began implementing my inquiry project, I first needed to fully understand the concept of autonomy. According to the Dictionary.com definition, autonomy is the “state or condition of having independence or freedom, or of being autonomous” After conducting a literary review, I felt more knowledgeable about the topic and was comfortable using the term and discussing the project with my students. In this section, I will discuss various literature associated with autonomy and adolescence.
According to Deci & Ryan (1987) autonomy is a “theoretical concept that connotes an inner endorsement of one’s actions, an experience during that action of high flexibility and low pressure, and a sense that one’s actions are truly chosen” (as quoted in Reeve, Nix, and Hamm (2003), p. 387). In other words, to feel autonomous, people need to fully support their actions – and feel as if they made the choice on their own, with little external influences. Furthermore, Reeve, Nix, & Hamm (2003) found that in order for people to actually feel as if their actions are “truly chosen,” they must be presented with holistic choices about what actions to pursue. The authors differentiated between action choices, where one gets to decide what action, if any, to pursue, and option choices, where one is forced to choose from a list of mandated options (p. 293). For example, an option choice would be deciding whether to listen to jazz, rock, or classical music; an action choice would be deciding whether to listen to music at all or read a book. The authors found that offering people action choices instead of option choices was more effective at increasing participant interest. This helped me understand the importance of presenting students with holistic choices where they were truly able to decide what to do. I tried to use this framework to prepare my lessons and implement the inquiry project with my students.
According to Deci & Ryan (1987) autonomy is a “theoretical concept that connotes an inner endorsement of one’s actions, an experience during that action of high flexibility and low pressure, and a sense that one’s actions are truly chosen” (as quoted in Reeve, Nix, and Hamm (2003), p. 387). In other words, to feel autonomous, people need to fully support their actions – and feel as if they made the choice on their own, with little external influences. Furthermore, Reeve, Nix, & Hamm (2003) found that in order for people to actually feel as if their actions are “truly chosen,” they must be presented with holistic choices about what actions to pursue. The authors differentiated between action choices, where one gets to decide what action, if any, to pursue, and option choices, where one is forced to choose from a list of mandated options (p. 293). For example, an option choice would be deciding whether to listen to jazz, rock, or classical music; an action choice would be deciding whether to listen to music at all or read a book. The authors found that offering people action choices instead of option choices was more effective at increasing participant interest. This helped me understand the importance of presenting students with holistic choices where they were truly able to decide what to do. I tried to use this framework to prepare my lessons and implement the inquiry project with my students.