Choice Theory in the Classroom

Glasser (1999) claimed that humans have five needs influencing their beliefs and behavior—survival, power, freedom, love/belonging, and fun (Hale, 2022).  These needs impact both instructors and students and can consequently affect the educational experience.  In fact, Glasser’s (1999) Choice Theory asserts that students’ behavior is a direct attempt to meet their needs.  When students feel safe, connect to the instructor and learning community, experience success and competence in learning, exercise autonomy, and enjoy their educational experience, they will participate happily and have greater learning outcomes.  On the other hand, if a student views schoolwork as inapplicable, boring, too complicated, too restrictive, or beneath them, they will be less likely to be engaged in learning.  Therefore, in the best interests of our students, we should use elements of Choice Theory in our teaching methods and learning practices.

Meeting Survival Needs

If students are hungry, tired, cold, hot, sick, or in pain, learning is restricted.  Of course, educators have limited power to solve all the problems students may come to school with.  Schools often have resources available to help, but we can seek to create a physical learning environment that is sufficient to meet student needs.  For instance, we should consider desk placement for best visibility and logistical space to create an environment conducive to learning.  We can also attempt to control levels of extraneous noise and orderliness in the learning environment.   

Meeting Freedom Needs

Students often feel they do not have the power to make choices in their lives. Therefore, we can build autonomy in our learning practices.  For instance, offering multiple choices for assessment allows students to make decisions about which project best fits their specific talents and interests.  Any time we add elements of creativity to assignments, we increase the opportunity for students to exercise freedom.  Moreover, we can make use of choice boards, where students determine the order in which they complete tasks.  We can let students decide which articles, poems, stories, or books they will read and analyze (from either a compiled list or based on a topic).  On writing assignments, we can give students a choice of prompts to respond to.

Meeting Power Needs

Students need to feel they have self-worth and can achieve, and educators can support those needs.  First of all, educators must believe in the potential of each student to progress no matter where they are on their learning path.  Scaffolding instruction supports students in their current abilities and prepares them to learn more.  In addition, we can give students ability-appropriate responsibilities to increase feelings of power.  For instance, in group work we can assign each student a role with assigned responsibilities.  Peer reviews and student-created presentations place students in the position of expert, which builds feelings of self-efficacy.  Furthermore, instructor feedback can contribute to feelings of self-worth as we point out how students are progressing and give direction for future improvements.

Figure 1.

Student giving multimedia presentation in class [AI-generated Image].

Note. “Student giving multimedia presentation in class” by Thompson, 2025, Wix AI image Creator.

Meeting Love/Belonging Needs

An important aspect of Choice Theory is that quality relationships are vital (Glasser, 1999).  Classrooms that focus on connection and building genuine relationships improve motivation and lead to learning.  In face-to-face learning environments, there are many options for students to build connections with other students and with the instructor.  Ice breaker type activities help people get to know each other better.  In addition, think-pair-share discussions help students learn from one another and consider other perspectives.

Collaborative learning provides students with opportunities to connect with one another as they discuss content, problem-solve, and cooperate to complete a task.  Debate activities are useful for widening perspectives about others’ viewpoints and building empathy (Chun Wong & Lee Low, 2025; Palma Flores & Albornoz Muñoz, 2022).

Online learning environments can also create feelings of connection by making use of introductory activities like having students create a video to share about themselves.  Likewise, discussion boards increase interaction between students.  Instructors can build connection by communicating expectations and deadlines regularly as well as providing timely feedback on assessments.

Bullying and cyberbullying are threats to students’ feelings of safety and acceptance.  Educators must be aware of and persistent in noting and rooting out bullying behaviors, which not only negatively affect the mental health of youth but also can disrupt learning (Florang, 2020).  In contrast, building a classroom culture of respect, acceptance, and support will fulfill students’ needs and result in greater opportunities for learning.

Meeting Fun Needs

In 2009, Volkswagen launched an ad campaign titled “The Fun Theory” with the hypothesis that fun can be a driver of human behavior (Joy, 2022).  By altering the perception of a typically undesirable activity to seem more fun, many participants engaged in the behavior of their own freewill and choice.  For example, one project attempted to encourage people to recycle their glass bottles (Rolighetsteorin, 2009).  The designers gamified the process by creating an arcade game so that users earned points as they inserted their bottles.  In one night, the arcade bottle collector was used 100 times, while a normal collection box was used only twice.  Clearly, making the activity more fun increased motivation to participate.    

Figure 2. [Bottle Bank Arcade - TheFunTheory.com]. YouTube video

Understanding that fun is both a need and an effective strategy can galvanize instructors to infuse learning activities with more variety, creativity, and fun.  According to Costantini et al. (2025), implementing fun and competitive learning activities benefits study performance, active learning, knowledge absorption, and the desire to study.  Technology is a relevant method of increasing fun for students who are digital natives.  For instance, gamifying learning using platforms like Quizizz, Kahoot, and Blooket are effective because of friendly competition.  Other engaging activities that students view as fun are escape rooms, speed dating, gallery walks, role plays, and multimedia presentations.

Conclusion

One final aspect of Choice Theory to keep in mind is that we can truly only control our own behavior, while each student can control theirs (Glasser, 1999). External coercion and punishment might bring short-term compliance, but focusing on building intrinsic motivation in our students will enhance their long-term growth and success.  As educators understand Choice Theory and seek to apply it in their professional practice, they will see students benefit from having their needs met, clearing space for them to focus on learning because they enjoy it. 

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References

Chun Wong, L., & Lee Low, M. (2025). Exploring the efficacy of online synchronous debate as a tool for teaching ethics. Athens Journal of Education, 12(2), 357–368. https://doi.org/ 10.30958/aje.12-2-10

Costantini, A., Bakker, A. B., & Scharp, Y. S. (2025). Playful study design: A novel approach to enhancing student well-being and academic performance. Educational Psychology Review, 37(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10022-6 

Florang, J. E. (2020). Cyberbullying: New Approaches for School Counselors. Journal of School Counseling, 18(10–18), 1–24.

Glasser, W. (1999). Choice theory. HarperCollins Publishers.

Hale, J. V. (2022). Ways to Facilitate Improvements within the Educational Community through the Use of Choice Theory, Reality Therapy, and Other Glasser-Related Concepts. International Journal of Choice Theory & Reality Therapy, 42(1), 61–63.

Joy, Manu Melwin. (2022, Jan.). “The Fun Theory.” Pallikkutam, Rajagiri Media Trust. www.researchgate.net/profile/Manu-Joy/publication/360836865_Fun_Theory/links/628e0e52d4e5243d9b998022/Fun-Theory.pdf

Palma Flores, E., & Albornoz Muñoz, N. (2022). Between identification and empathy to elaborate the difficult past: An experience of a classroom debate with Chilean children. Journal of Peace Education, 19(1), 25–46. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/17400201.2022.2039599

Rolighetsteorin. (2009, October 15). Bottle Bank Arcade - TheFunTheory.com [Video]. Youtube.  https://youtu.be/zSiHjMU-MUo?si=OdD8Rlmn47u7kJuS

Thompson, L. (2025). Student giving multimedia presentation [AI-generated image]. Wix AI Image creator.