Motivation+and+Engagement

="I Love Reading!" = =

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 * The Problem **

There are a growing number of students who have become academically detached and apathetic toward learning and school work. Many attribute this to students’ inability or lack of motivation to read. The causes of the lack in motivation can be attributed to various reasons such as:

Because reading proficiency has been shown to decrease with a lack of motivation schools are forced to come up with solutions to assist the growing number of struggling readers (Kelley & Decker, 2009). Some solutions include providing extrinsic motivators and developing assignments that foster intrinsic motivation.


 * Motivational Studies [[image:008.JPG width="406" height="272" align="right" caption="Ms. Schelstrate's 8th grade 5th period class 2009, Lyndon B. Johnson MS, Pharr, Texas"]] **

A recent reading motivation study conducted in a Florida middle school by Kelley and Decker (2009) found that reading motivation declined with grade level. Sixth graders were more motivated to read than seventh graders and seventh graders more motivated than eighth graders. Researchers also noticed a difference in sex as female students tended to view themselves as readers more often than male students. The study postulated that lower standardized test scores seemed to correlate with lack of reading motivation although a full study into this trend was not completed. However, in a similar study conducted by Mucherah and Yoder (2008) test scores and reading motivation were measured. Researchers concluded that specific motivation characteristics, such as reading for social reasons or desire to read difficult material, did affect test scores. Students who chose only to read socially were shown to have lower scores than those who preferred varied and complex stories.

So how do kids become struggling readers or lacking in motivation? There are many socio-cultural and psychological theories. A person’s Discourse is defined by Knobel (1999) as being “....composed of particular sets of values, beliefs, activities, conventions, words, ways of speaking, interpretations, and bodily positions, along with material props and socially identifiable roles, that together constitute a particular-- and recognized social identity (pg. 35).” James Gee (1996) suggests that it is because academic Discourse is so different from students’ primary Discourse it causes friction which the child responds to by either tuning out academically or acting out physically. Because academic Discourse tends to borrow from upper middle-class whites those who are not of this particular Discourse grapple with understanding it and fitting in (Gee, 1996). Another theory states that because the child has failed or struggled with reading early in his/her life his/her self-concept is changed. These students view themselves as non-readers and believe they cannot succeed in reading (Walsh, 2006). School deficiencies can also lead to a lack of motivation in struggling readers. Unavailability of highly trained professionals, curriculum that is the same for every student, and focus on test scores are some of the major problems school districts have in serving students who are not proficient readers (Margolis & McCabe, 2006).


 * Types of Motivation **

There are two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation comes from within a person. Extrinsic motivators come from a source other than the person (Kelley & Decker, 2009). A recent trend in education has led to a rise in extrinsic motivation. Many schools offer rewards to students such as food, free time, prizes and even money for academic success. One incentive program that has been widely utilized is the Accelerated Reader program whereby students read books and take a test on them to earn points. Schools then reward those students who earn a set number of points (Fawson & Moore, 1999). However, there are certain teacher practices that promote intrinsic motivation such as literature circles and learning clubs. In literature circles every student reads the same story, article, or passage. They then choose roles to play in their group discussion such as: discussion leader, vocabulary builder, question investigator, and artist. Literature clubs are similar except that the subjects of inquiry are student led, all students participate in every activity, and all students are held accountable for the final product (Casey, 2008).


 * Increasing Motivation to Read **

Margolis and McCabe (2006) theorize that there are five Principles of Motivation that can be used to increase participation of struggling readers. The first Principle focuses on using materials in which students can achieve academic competence while the second states that the teacher must give students the necessary life experiences and required language to ensure success. The third Principle involves using the interests of the student to create a program of study. Subsequently, the use of rewards and incentives in the beginning but gradually move toward intrinsic motivation. Lastly, to guarantee continued success, struggling readers must be taught how to formulate valuable contributes to class discussions and interactions.

To increase motivation Padak and Potenza-Radis (2010) suggest giving students time to read independently, allow student-led discussion, and implementation of focused and authentic reading programs. They also believe in order for students to grow into successful readers it is important that teachers know their students, allow students to access various types of literature, and provide support when needed. These suggestions are also supported by Walsh’s (2006) study of disengaged students in which he found one of the best ways to positively influence this type of student is to get to know him/her. A good teacher will not only know demographics, but also skill levels, learning styles, and interests. Walsh (2006) also points out that when students do not seem to care about academics or are hostile that it is probably because of past learning experiences and teachers should not take it personally when students react negatively towards instruction. Some positive suggestions offered by Walsh (2006) are for the teacher to distance himself/herself physically from the student. In addition teachers should try to form a bond of trust with these students and also practice and teach mutual respect.

Many students today are disengaged with school because their interests, background knowledge, home literacies, and view of self are not valued. With struggling readers extrinsic motivators work best because their self-esteem is so low that they need immediate reinforcement. After they become used to being continuously successful in their reading performance then intrinsic motivators can be introduced and nurtured.

References

Casey, H. (2008). Engaging the disengaged: Using learning clubs to motivate struggling adolescent readers and writers. //Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy//, //52//(4), 284- 294. Fawson, P., & Moore, S. (1999). Reading incentive programs: Beliefs and practices. //Reading Psychology //, //20//(4), 325-340. Gee, J.P. (1996). //Social linguistics and literacies: Ideology in discources// (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge Falmer. Kelley, M., & Decker, E. (2009). The current state of motivation to read among middle school students. //Reading Psychology//, //30//(5), 466-485. Knobel, M. (1999). //Everyday literacies: Students, discourse, and social practice//. New York: Peter Lang Publishing. Margolis, H., & McCabe, P. (2006). Motivating struggling readers in an era of mandated instructional practices. //Reading Psychology//, //27//(5), 435-455. Mucherah, W., & Yoder, A. (2008). Motivation for reading and middle school students' performance on standardized testing in reading. //Reading Psychology//, //29//(3), 214-235. Padak, N., & Potenza-Radis, C. (2010). Motivating struggling readers: Three keys to success. //The New England Reading Association Journal, 45//(2), 1-7. Walsh, F. (2006). A middle school dilemma: Dealing with “I don’t care.”. //American// //Secondary Education //, //35//(1), 5-15.

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__ Further Reading: __
==<span style="color: #00b0f0; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Agnew, M. (2000). DRAW: A motivational reading comprehension strategy for <span style="color: #00b0f0; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">disaffected readers. //Journal// //of Adolescent & Adult Literacy//, //43//(6), 574-76. == <span style="color: #943634; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Casey, H. (2008). Engaging the disengaged: Using learning clubs to motivate struggling adolescent readers and writers. //Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy,// 52(4), 284-294. <span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Dreher, M. (2003). Motivating struggling readers by tapping the potential of information. //<span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">Reading & Writing Quarterly //<span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">, //19//(1), 25-38. <span style="color: #31849b; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Guthrie, J., & Davis, M. (2003). Motivating struggling readers in middle school through an engagement model of classroom practice. //Reading & Writing// Quarterly, 19(1), 59-85. <span style="color: #948a54; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Padak, N., & Potenza-Radis, C. (2010). Motivating struggling readers: Three keys to <span style="color: #948a54; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">success. //The New England Reading Association Journal, 45//(2), 1-7. <span style="color: #d99594; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Peebles, J. (2007). Incorporating movement with fluency instruction: A motivation for <span style="color: #d99594; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">struggling readers. //Reading Teacher//, //60//(6), 578-581. <span style="color: #ffc000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Pinkard, N. (1999). Lyric reader: An architecture for creating intrinsically motivating and <span style="color: #ffc000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">culturally responsive reading environments. //Interactive Learning Environments//, 7(1), 1-30.