Term Paper on "Assessing Adolescent's Motivation to Read"

Term Paper 8 pages (2302 words) Sources: 8 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

ADOLESCENT'S MOTIVATION to READ

Assessment of the motivations of the adolescent individual to read is the focus of this work. Adolescence is an age characterized by various peer pressures and the adolescent's need to 'fit in' and likely is the stage of growth in which admitting finding enjoyment in the pursuit of reading is viewed as being the 'cool' or 'in' thing to do. Failure however, in the adolescent individual to excel in reading at this phase of their education creates a future educational barrier for the individual and affects the entire learning and occupational progression and in an ongoing manner. Therefore, understanding precisely what motivates the adolescent to read is critically important and the educator should consider carefully the weight of this fact when planning classroom instruction in this area of learning.

Background

The work of Heidi Davey of Hoffman Estate High school at Northern Illinois University entitled: "Motivation and Adolescent and Adult Readers" quotes the work of Guthrie and Wigfield (2000) who state:

Everything from finding and choosing a text, to choosing to sit down with the text, to enacting strategic reading processes, to incorporating new information into prior knowledge requires active will and therefore motivation."

Certainly, there is no denying the truth in this statement of fact. That which is known is inclusive of the following facts according to the work of Davey (2006):

1) Motivation is known to decline throughout adolescence;

2) Relative motivation among peers of adolescents remains consistent;

<br />3) Many adolescents and adults can read, but choose not for; and 4) Motivation is multifaceted. (Davey, 2006)

The work of Michael L. Kamil (2003) entitled: "Adolescents and Literacy: Reading for the 21st Century" states:

The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exams showed that 25% of eighth graders and 26% of twelfth graders were reading at 'below basic' levels in 2002, international comparisons of reading performance placed American eleventh graders very close to the bottom, behind students from the Philippines, Indonesia, Brazil, and other developing nations." (Kamil, 2003)

Kamil points out the fact that each teacher in each classroom: "...has the direct responsibility" for the development of reading skills and abilities essential for adequate comprehension." (2003) Kamil relates that teaching strategies are: "those that are content focused and teacher initiated" while learning strategies "are student directed and intended to build independence in reading." (2003) Learning strategies are inclusive of: (1) summarizing; (2) note taking; (3) imagery; (4) outlining; and (5) meta cognitive training." (Kamil, 2003) Motivation in reading is defined by Kamil as being: "...the cluster of personal goals, values, and beliefs with regard to the topics, processes, and outcomes of reading that an individual possesses." (2003)

Definitions & Terms of the Research

Intrinsic motivation - intrinsic defines that which one does by individual choice and for the sake of doing something because they receive satisfaction for doing, learning, or knowing.

Extrinsic motivation - extrinsic defines that which one engages in for the purpose of external rewards or evaluation.

Present Issues

In a revised version of a position paper of the Board of Directors of the National Reading Conference (NRC) which was commissioned for the purpose of underscoring "the need to continue literacy instruction beyond elementary grades it is stated that in order for adolescent literacy instruction to be effective it:

must address issues of self-efficacy and student engagement with a variety of texts (e.g. textbooks, hypermedia texts, digital texts) in diverse settings. It must also attend to the literacy demands of subject area classes, to struggling readers, to issues of critical literacy, and to participatory instructional approaches that actively engage adolescents in their own learning." (Alvermann, 2001; NRC position paper)

Alvermann states in the NRC position paper that generally in the United States the headlines in newspaper and television "focus on early literacy instruction and the so-called reading wars between advocates of direct skills instruction and those who favor more holistic approaches to teaching young children to read print text." (2001) the result of these reports is that overlooked needs of adolescents for specialized instruction in reading in middle and high schools. The problem stated by Alvermann is that: "young people's literacy skills are not keeping pace with societal demands of living in an information age that changes rapidly and shows no sign of slowing." (2001) Added to this are the higher standards for achievement in reading that are policy standards set during the decades of school reform. According to Alvermann: "The percentages of students in grades 8 and 12 who are performing at or above the basic level (e.g. comprehending primarily factual information) are 74 and 77%, respectively." (2001) the fact is that the necessary tasks in reading and writing are "continuing to increase in complexity and difficulty" and yet the "basic literacy level is insufficient." (Alvermann, 2001) Alvermann points out a very important fact, which is the fact that 'literacy' defines more than simply the ability to read text, and particularly in today's world in which literacy includes computer, visual, graphic, and scientific literacies and as well, literacy takes place within different social contexts. (Alvermann, 2001; paraphrased) the adolescent's self-view of competence "will affect how motivated they are to learn in their subject area classes (e.g. The sciences, social studies, mathematics, and literature) requiring that: "issues of self-efficacy and engagement" be addressed. (Alvermann, 2001) That which one believes about the self is stated by Alvermann to be "phenomenal."(2001) Alvermann relates further that central to motivation theories is the perception of "self-efficacy" and the provision of clear goals and feedback among adolescents with difficulty in reading "can lead to increased self-efficacy and greater use of comprehension strategies." (Schunk & Rice, 1993; as cited in Alvermann, 2001) Additionally the creation of technological environments: "...that heighten students' motivation to become independent readers and writers can increase their sense of competency (Kamil, Intrator, & Kim, 2000; as cited in Alvermann, 2001) Intrinsic motivation has been noted to decrease as students move to middle school with varying explanations including instructional practice differences. (Eccles, Wigfield & Schiefele, 1998; as cited in Alvermann, 2001) Studies have shown that the varying instructional practices do not have a noticeable impact on student reading but the "level of student engagement...is the mediating factor, or avenue, through which classroom instruction influences student outcome." (Alvermann, 2001) the work of Alan Wigfield entitled: "Motivation for Literacy During Adolescence" relates the 'Engagement Model of Reading Development', which is illustrated in the following table, labeled Figure 1.

Figure 1- Engagement Model of Reading Development

Source: Wigfield (nd)

According to the RAND panel on reading comprehension and cited in the work of Wigfield (nd) 'reading comprehension' is: "the process of simultaneously extracting and constructing meaning through interaction and involvement with written language. (p. 11) Additionally related by Wigfield is the fact that: "Strategy instruction increased strategy competence and text comprehension in controlled experiments." (NRP, 2000; Trabasso & Bouchard, 2002; as cited in Wigfield, nd)

Strategy instruction includes:

1) Question asking;

2) Summarizing;

3) Organizing graphically;

4) Structuring stories;

5) Activating background knowledge; and 6) searching for information." (Wigfield, nd)

Motivators for adolescents to read are identified by Wigfield as being the following::

Student beliefs concerning their competence as well as their values for English decline continuously throughout the adolescent years;

Motivation for reading 'non-traditional' materials and reading outside of school are higher in terms of motivation than is motivation for 'in school' reading;

Resistance to- and disaffection with reading causes avoidance of activities involving reading;

Overcoming resistance for reading may be through meaningful reading and connections to subject area as well as collaborations with others. (Wigfield, nd)

Meta-analysis of motivation practices for increasing reading motivation and text comprehension states findings practices supporting motivation for reading include:

1) Content goals in reading instruction;

2) Support of autonomy during reading instruction;

3) the use of texts that are interesting; and 4) Instruction inclusive of social collaboration. (Wigfield, nd)

Concrete Instructional Practices/Strategies for Classroom Incorporation

The work of Guthrie and Wigfield relates a conceptual engagement model for reading that states the need for instruction that enables student motivation inclusive of self-efficacy and goal setting as well as use of strategy and conceptual knowledge growth and social interaction. (Alvermann, 2001) Literacy strategies stated to work with adolescent students include the following:

Motivation and engagement

Application of age appropriate material

Material that is appropriate to the reading abilities of student

Activation of prior knowledge

Modeling of self-monitoring techniques during reading (Alvermann, 2001)

The work entitled: "Reading for the 21st Century: Adolescent Literacy Teaching and Learning Strategies" states that the U.S. Department of Education commissioned the RAND Reading Study Group to develop a research agenda identifying the most pressing issues in adolescent literacy and states findings that the research was motivated by the factors as follows:

1. Motivation and Engagement: It is important that each student graduating high school have the ability to read texts of a complex nature however, comprehension has not improved from viewing national exam scores. (a) Compared to their peers in other countries, U.S. students are… READ MORE

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