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What Teachers Can Learn About Reading Motivation Through Conversations With Children
Author(s) -
Edmunds Kathryn M.,
Bauserman Kathryn L.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the reading teacher
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.642
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1936-2714
pISSN - 0034-0561
DOI - 10.1598/rt.59.5.1
Subject(s) - psychology , reading motivation , reading (process) , mathematics education , primary education , pedagogy , developmental psychology , linguistics , philosophy
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:The books related to their personal interests The characteristics of the books appealed to them The students were given choicesExpository books were chosen for these reasons:The knowledge gained from books The books related to personal interests The students were given choicesThe main source of book referrals was the school library. Children also reported being motivated to read by family members, teachers, and peers. Receiving books as gifts was frequently mentioned as another source of motivation. Classroom implications are suggested, based on the findings from the interviews. Teachers can increase student motivation by allowing self‐selection, giving attention to characteristics of books, identifying the personal interests of students, providing access to a variety of books, and actively involving others in sharing books with children.