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Degrees of Freedom: Students’ Preferences in Choosing Their Graduation Research Theme Degrees of Freedom: Students’ Preferences in Choosing Their Graduation Research Theme Moritoshi, Paul Moritoshi, Paul 377 Self-determination theory Learner autonomy Dissertation Seminar research Self-determination theory Learner autonomy Dissertation Seminar research Conducting original research is a standard component in the latter stages of most degree programs worldwide, but the matter of who chooses the research question varies across educational cultures. Some allow students to decide the research area for themselves while others require students to investigate a question set by the supervisor. This paper examines the pros and cons of both approaches and conducts a study among freshman and sophomores (N=54) at a private Japanese university to examine their preferences. The quantitative and qualitative data are discussed with reference to Deci & Ryanʼs (1980) Self-Determination Theory. It was found that 85% of the sample (n=35) prefer to be allowed to choose their research question for themselves, citing various reasons relating to motivation, academic performance and emotional health. departmental bulletin paper 中国学園大学/中国短期大学 2019 VoR application/pdf CHUGOKUGAKUEN Journal 18 21 27 CHUGOKUGAKUEN Journal AA11806612 1348-1452 https://cur-ren.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/1085/files/18_021_27.pdf https://doi.org/10.24770/00001077 https://cur-ren.repo.nii.ac.jp/records/1085 eng Deci, E. L. & Ryan, R. M. (1980). Self-determination theory: When mind mediates behavior. The Journal of Mind and Behavior, 1(1), pp. 33-43. Excel (Version 2007) [Computer software]. Microsoft. Saldana, J. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Ltd. 中国学園大学/中国短期大学