Advocates for improving students’ behavior recommend a diverse array of practices such as structuring classroom interactions, reinforcement of appropriate responding, sanctions for misbehavior, and many others one can find in textbooks about behavior analysis and management (e.g., Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2019; Umbreit, Ferro, Lane, & Liaison, 2025; Zirpoli, 2015).12 One recommended practice that Dear Readers may encounter is providing students choice in performance of their academic activities. Teachers might allow students to select the order in which they complete assignments, the parts of the assignments on which to focus, and so forth.
Advocates of choice can spin off all manner of benefits. The theory predicts effects from the grand (increased autonomy and self-concept) to the practical (students get more work done). Teachers who rely on evidence to assess the value of practices will, of course, wonder what credible research reports would reveal about the benefits of offering choice. In a 2026 article in Journal of Positive Behavior Supports,
