Research shows a general declining trend in reading motivation as students progress through their schooling experience. This qualitative study examines how adjusting practices of rewarding reading can improve reading motivation among students. Teachers are trained in the principles of motivation and introduced to the proximal reward theory…

Over the past two years, as a professor of reading education, I have listened to, collaborated, and met with various PreK-12 educators virtually and in person. I collected questions, comments, successes, and challenges related to the ongoing transitions and demands of this post-pandemic era on teachers, students, and parents. The topics of student…

Teachers who are successful at teaching both the skill and the love of reading provide a foundation for lifetime reading. All too often, building motivation for reading is neglected in reading instruction and classrooms. Nine teachers were trained in seven motivational principles and then invited to make an implementation plan using as many of the…

This study explores the relationship between the books students select for independent reading and their motivation to read. Instructional recommendations based on key findings are presented. To gather data, study participants completed the Motivation to Read Profile-Revised. They also shared information about the books they had selected for…

The authors share findings from a study that incorporated two types of participatory interview approaches (conversational drawing interviews and walking tour interviews) to elicit young students' (K-2) motivation-related perceptions of a reading intervention to better understand and support their motivation for doing reading in the program. All 14…

For most classroom teachers, recognizing when students are engaged in literacy activities--and perhaps more glaringly, when they are not--is a process that is key to evaluating the potential success of the instruction being offered. Students who are engaged have their eyes on what they are doing, are ardently attending to the teacher's read aloud…

Research indicates that motivation plays a central role in literacy development. Recent investigations have revealed that reading motivation begins to erode as early as second grade. Therefore, it can be suggested that motivation must be carefully considered during early literacy instruction. However, such motivating instruction can be effectively…

Because of the numerous challenges that ELs face, such as having to concurrently learn the curriculum and the English language, it is critical to focus on motivation. However, little attention has been given to ELs' motivation to read in English. Based on an interview study, results indicate that ELs may be motivated to read in English to learn…

Students' reading achievement is influenced by the amount of reading they actually do. In this column we present a workable and engaging model to increase the volume of student reading at home. A detailed outline of how teachers and schools can work with parents to implement the model is presented. (Contains 1 figure.)

Noted scholar, teacher educator, and IRA past-president Linda Gambrell answers readers' questions about motivating young and struggling readers.

Teachers who plan content area instruction with evidence-based principles of reading engagement in mind will seek ways of making learning interesting and worthwhile; will create learning contexts that maximize participation in reading, writing, and thinking; and will always account for motivation and engagement when considering students' classroom…

Sixteen students, randomly selected from a pool of 91 fourth-graders in a midsize elementary school, were interviewed about their reading choices. The interviews revealed that children had different degrees of motivation, following several patterns. Children chose narrative literature for these reasons: (1) The books related to their personal…

Discusses recent work on the nature of children's motivations for reading, in particular a reading-specific measure of motivation called the Motivations for Reading Questionnaire. (SR)

Children who read only when they have no choice will not become good readers. One of the simplest ways to motivate children to read at all grade levels is for teachers to read to their classes. In this column, the author suggests some steps that teachers can take to make reading more appealing to their students.

Considers how rather than being hooked on books, children of the new millennium are hooked on watching music videos, movies, sports, or TV shows. Suggests that children can read books about or written by many of their favorite Hollywood or TV stars. Presents an annotated list of approximately 65 children's books with connections to celebrities.…