Reading Motivation: Proficiency, Persistence, and Passion Research does support Linda B. Gambrell Clemson University LGAMB@clemson.edu Sustained Self-Selected Reading 1. Choice 2. Collaboration 3. Challenge Monitored Sustained Self-Selected Reading • Access to books • Teacher read-aloud • Teacher book sharing Choice • Choice / bounded choice • Transfer of strategies • Social interaction • Teacher-student conferences • Teacher recording keeping Access to an abundance of books within the classroom results in increased motivation and increased reading achievement. Guthrie, Schafer, Von Secker, & Alban, 2000 The volume of independent, silent reading students do in school is significantly related to gains in reading achievement. Cunningham & Stanovich, 1996 Self-Selected Reading Brook/ Gambrell BookBag SSR 1. NOW book 2. NEXT book 3. QUICK and EASY books Literally hundreds of correlational studies find that the best readers read the most and that poor readers read the least. These correlational studies suggest that the more children read, the better their fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. National Reading Panel, 2000 Collaboration Oscar Ybarra, et al. University of Michigan February 2007 Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin What fosters cognitive functioning? Social Interaction - Mental Exercise - TV Research with people ages 24 - 96 College Students Randomly Assigned to Three Groups: 1. 10 minutes engaging in social interaction (discussion) 2. 10 minutes doing intellectual exercises (reading, cross word puzzles, etc.) 3. 10 minutes of “Seinfeld” (in isolation) On follow-up cognitive tests, the social interaction and intellectual exercise groups outperformed the “Seinfeld” group. Conclusions: • Ten minutes of talking per day improves intellectual performance, particularly working memory. • Regardless of age, the more social interaction (talking) the higher the level of mental functioning. • Simply talking to one another enhances mental functioning. Quick Share What students talk about is what they learn best and remember the longest. Challenge We learn to value the reward. It does not appear to be a question of whether rewards enhance or undermine intrinsic motivation, but rather under what conditions do rewards undermine intrinsic motivation (Cameron, 2001; Deci, Koestner, & Ryan, 2001). Intrinsic Motivation and Rewards: What Sustains Young Children’s Engagement with Text? Marinak & Gambrell, 2007 This study explored the reward proximity hypothesis and the effect of choice of reward on the intrinsic reading motivation of average third grader readers Procedures • Researcher invited each student to read books and make recommendations for library purchase • Student received a reward according to condition (book, token, no reward) • The researcher invited the student to spend their remaining time doing reading, a math puzzle, or a jigsaw puzzle The findings from this study suggest that the proximity of the reward to the desired behavior is a particularly salient factor in enhancing motivation to read. Conclusions Implications • Using rewards proximal to reading supports intrinsic motivation to read. • Type of reward is more important than choice of reward. • Carefully chosen rewards can foster a culture of reading motivation. *BOOKS! *more time for SSR *more time for teacher read aloud… Rewards proximal to the desired behavior, such as books to reading, do not undermine intrinsic motivation to read. Less proximal rewards, such as tokens, undermine intrinsic motivation to read. Although choice has been demonstrated to be a powerful aspect of intrinsic motivation, choice of reward was not found to be a salient factor in this study. Wide Reading Is Related To: Fluency Vocabulary development Refined language use Practical knowledge Cultural knowledge Reduced misinformation Reduced deleterious effects of aging Cunningham & Stanovich 1998 “No written word, no spoken plea can teach our youth what they should be, Nor all the books on all the shelves, it’s what the teachers are themselves.” Anonymous