This study investigates the relationships between reading motivation, language ability, and print-concept skills among Hebrew-speaking kindergarteners, before they are formally exposed to reading instruction. The purpose of the study was to explore reading motivation-literacy relationships and to determine whether there are differences in language…

Although it is widely accepted that reading motivation erodes over the elementary years and school experiences shape motivation, few have examined young readers' motivation for their reading intervention programs. This two-year qualitative case study probed the motivation-related perceptions of four young children specific to their involvement in…

This study examined the effects of maternal and children's resources on school readiness, literacy achievements, and reading motivation in children. The participants included children (N = 180) (124 girls; 56 boys) from 19 kindergartens, their mothers, and their kindergarten teachers. Mothers reported on their working hours, interaction quality,…

This embedded case study sought to answer the question of what obstacles and opportunities presented when a reading initiative aimed at increasing the amount of time students spent reading independently was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Four embedded grade level cases from a small rural elementary school were explored over the course…

For the training of academic skills, digital educational games with integrated adaptivity are promising. Adaptive games are considered superior to non-adaptive games, because they constantly assess children's performance, and accordingly adapt the difficulty of the tasks corresponding to the children's individual level. However, empirical evidence…

This study examines the efficacy, cost, and implementation of an integrated science and literacy curriculum for kindergarten. The study was conducted in a large urban district and included 1,589 students in 71 classrooms in 21 schools. The research includes a multi-site cluster-randomized controlled trial and mixed-methods cost and implementation…

Veteran teacher Rachel Harbison used vivid stories to involve kindergartners in sociodramatic play to motivate reading acquisition. Children learned through staged events that a mischievous Word Queen had planted "tricks" in the alphabet (i.e., the irregularities in English spelling) to prevent children from learning to read. The…

We examined early elementary children's reading motivation in four different countries. Results revealed that reading motivation is a stable construct in countries like Chile, Finland, Greece, and the United States. Motivation to read followed similar patterns across the countries, with increased scores at the end of the school year. This trend…

This mixed-methods research study focuses on students', teachers', and parents' perceptions of the influence therapy dogs in schools can have on reluctant readers' attitudes about reading and motivation to read at school and at home as well as exploring changes in the participants' oral fluency. Eight student participants read to our school…

Choice and interest have long been linked to motivation for learning to read and write; however, designing instruction with authentic premises for young children that harness these motivators can prove challenging. In this teaching tip, we describe one kindergarten classroom's experience engaging in Genius Hour, in which children were supported to…

Helping young children become proficient readers is a critical goal. Research tells us that students who experience difficulty reading in the early years of school often struggle to catch up (Stanley, Petscher, & Catts, 2018; Ozernov, Palchik et al., 2016; Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997; Francis, Shaywitz, Stuebing, Shaywitz, & Fletcher,…

This study examined a literacy program that targeted students most at risk of reading difficulties in kindergarten and first grade of 12 Swedish schools. The program used multi-sensory learning methods that focused on phonological awareness and phonics, and was delivered during 10 weeks over 30-35 sessions by teachers in a one-to-one or one-to-two…

The current research examined age differences and developmental aspects associated with children's early motivation to read at the beginning and the end of the school year for 119 Hebrew speakers in kindergarten and 1st grade. Analyses showed that overall motivation to read was higher among 1st-graders than among kindergartners. In addition,…

The purpose of this meta-analytic review was to investigate the relation between motivation and reading achievement among students in kindergarten through 12th grade. A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed published research resulted in 132 articles with 185 independent samples and 1,154 reported effect sizes (Pearson's r). Results of our…

Although research indicates that motivation influences reading development and achievement, studies examining the motivation of primary-age readers are scarce and limited. Assuming school experiences play a role in shaping motivation, it is imperative that younger children's motivation to read within the context of reading intervention programs be…