How motivation, engagement and reading achievement are connected

How Motivation, Engagement and Reading Achievement are Connected: 5 ways that parents and teachers can help

July 31, 2018

Should we care about kids’ motivation in reading or just focus on decoding?

Motivation is the key. Motivation, engagement and reading achievement are connected. Basically, students must have the energy to be a better reader. By this I mean that reading complex texts, analysing the text and then answering questions is hard work! Therefore, kids have to think better and if you have a reluctant reader this is even more difficult. This is where motivation and ‘reading energy’ is the key! We need them to see that reading pays off.

Here are 5 ways to improve reading motivation:

Relevance

Make the reading material relevant – help to connect it to their experience. For example, Dr John Guthrie (an Educational Psychologist, University of Maryland) recommends using a short video clip, then have the text related to that video. In this way, children can have a concrete thing that they can connect to the text. (This aligns with our philosophy and the reason why LFB is such a hit with boys.) Parents, you can use this strategy at home to motivate your son to read a new book or try a new author.

Fewer Choices

Don’t overwhelm boys with too many choices. If they do select an informational text, you might ask, “Which part of the book would you like to read?” or with a non-fiction book ask, “Which character would you like to focus on?” Encourage your son (or student) to make a little choice every day. In this way, they gain a sense of ownership.

Reading can be social

Work together to help kids to be partners in reading. Share questions and ideas, read aloud, create answers together and discuss the text. Let them see that reading can be social and solitary.

Reassure the child that they are successful

This is key to building self-confidence, especially with children in the middle/upper primary to high school age group. The low achievers have probably been in this bracket for a while and see themselves as non-readers. These students often think, “This is too hard for me”, and they stop reading. But if we stop reading, then we can’t grow. Help your child or student to set realistic goals, for e.g. “How many pages are you going to read today?” “How many questions can you work to answer?” Small goals that are achievable help to build reading confidence and leads to a sense of success.

See the value of reading

In a technological driven society, kids can often forget to see that reading is of crucial importance. There is a trap with older students thinking, “I don’t need to read. I can watch or listen for the information so reading is a waste of time.” Yet independent reading is a critical part of children’s learning and growth. Parents can help by getting access to books via the library, online or e-books. Research continually says that students who witness parental interest and commitment to books start reading and accelerate into becoming a better reader.