Does motivation play a role in reading comprehension? Research says YES!

After reading, re-reading, and analyzing four studies, the answer is clear - motivation plays a critical role in reading comprehension and reading growth. Based on these four studies, it is clear that we must balance our skill and strategy instruction with fostering and supporting students' motivation.

Allan Wigfield and his colleagues found that highly engaged readers are internally motivated to read and also read more frequently and develop deeper connections to texts.  On the contrary, Wigfield and his colleagues also found that comprehension and reading strategy use was low in students who were not engaged in reading. I find this to be true in my classroom, and feel that most other teachers would agree. After completing this research, I think that instructional frameworks that support comprehension and engagement are critical to see the most reading growth. Therefore, based on findings from the studies, I believe that the CORI structure is one way to boost motivation and reading comprehension in elementary classrooms.

Likewise, Guthrie and his colleagues found a strong connection between interest and involvement in reading. Students who like reading enjoy choosing their books, value reading, and are highly involved in what they are reading. Students who do not like reading do not think that choosing a book is important or what they are reading is important. Guthrie and his colleagues studied the importance of valuing reading. I find this to be true in my classroom. If students do not like reading and do not what to read, they are not invested or involved in the lesson. These are often the students who struggle with tests and other subject areas besides English Language Arts.

Ana Taboada and her colleagues researched the importance of both teaching strategies and developing internal motivation. The authors of this study made it clear that it is equally important to support both through concrete practice. I cannot agree more. In my classroom, I focus on meta-cognitive instruction, skills, and strategy use. By teaching students how their brains work and helping them understand WHY they are doing something, I have seen better results and stronger investment and involvement in lessons.

Finally, Marinak and Gambrell studied how the role of motivation in reading comprehension differs in ages and genders. Boys are less motivated to read than girls. Specifically, they found that boys value reading less than girls. However, they also found that boys like to read magazines and things for the "real-world." In my opinion, this means that we need to adjust our thinking of what is "real" reading or "academic" reading. As teachers, we need to break down the stereotypes of reading and build reading value in our classrooms. The author's also touched upon the decline of reading motivation from early to later elementary grades. This is a critical issue that I see in my middle school classrooms. Many of my students say that they used to like to read, but not anymore.

After completing my research, these are my two questions:


First, there is a clear decline in reading motivation from early to later elementary years and beyond. How do we fix this problem and continue to motivate our older students?

Second, each study focused on a white, middle/upper class, mid-Atlantic population of students. Priya Abraham, senior policy analyst at the Commonwealth Foundation, stated, “There are thousands of assaults each year on students and staff. At the same time, 20 to 30 percent of students can read or do math at grade level.” How can the studies’ findings help the students of Philadelphia Public Schools? Can the instructional routines and supports be implemented successfully with less resources and a low socio-economic, culturally and academically diverse population of students?