Active Learning and Self-Determination for the Management of Differences in the Classroom

The contexts of active learning, be they cooperative or flipped, are considered environments in which effective forms of learning are developed and students report greater satisfaction of basic psychological needs, intrinsic motivation, and interest in the subjects studied compared to the peers included in classes with traditional teaching methods. The aim of this study is to investigate whether there are differences between students with disabilities and without any pathology, included in active learning contexts, in the level of satisfaction of basic psychological needs, in the perception of skills, in the perception of the classroom climate and in the motivation to learn. 100 students (age: M = 16.99; DS = 1.808), 33 with disabilities and 67 students with typical development were involved. The results confirmed, in addition to the impact of individual factors in the motivation to study (psychological needs and perception of skills), a significant relationship also emerged with the classroom climate, with the teaching strategies of active learning and functional and self-determined levels of motivation to study.