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Motivating Students To Read
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Motivation defined by theorists is "what moves people to act" (Eccles, Wigfield, & Schiefele, 1998; Pintrich & Schunk, 1996). There are behavioral indicators of motivation which include "choices of activities to do, persistence at these activities, and the level of effort expended" (Wigfield, 1997). Keeping in line with the theorists' beliefs, reading motivation is then defined as "the individual's goals and beliefs with regard to reading" (Guthrie et al., 1999). This directly influences the individual's activities, interactions, and learning with the text. This site is dedicated to providing motivational resources for teachers and parents. The materials are grounded in research, teacher- tested, and user friendly. They encompass goals, incentives, and strategies for a range of diverse learners K-12.
Motivation is a key factor in obtaining success. Motivating struggling readers is not an easy task, but it is necessary to build the desire and drive to read. It is our hope that the following suggestions can be utilized to foster an interest in reading which will be the seed that with much nurturing and care will one day bloom into a love of reading for your students. According to the National Reading Research Center (Baumann & Duffy 1997), children need to be motivated to read and use literacy to develop into fluent readers. Researchers assert that students cannot be simply classified as motivated or unmotivated, but rather motivated differently (Baker & Wigfield 1999; Ivey 1999). The challenge, a sense of obligation, possible recognition, interest, or numerous other factors motivate some students. Extrinsic motivation has been avoided out of fear that it might hinder the development of intrinsic motivation. However research suggests that some forms of extrinsic motivation may actually serve as a “jump start” for students who have low motivation (Baker & Wigfield1999; Gambrell 1996; Hidi & Harackiewicz 2000). |
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