Enhancing elementary students’ motivation to read and write: A classroom intervention study

Abstract

The authors examined how different reading and language arts assignments influenced 3rd-grade students’ motivational goals, strategy use, and achievement affect, that is, anxiety and self-concept. Participants included 8 teachers and 187 students from 1 suburban school. During weekly planning sessions, the teachers modified their reading and language arts assignments to increase the number of opportunities students had (a) to write multiple paragraphs, (b) to collaborate with peers, and (c) to monitor their progress over extended periods of time. The students’ motivational patterns varied according to how well the teachers implemented these changes in their assignments. In classrooms where the teachers implemented the desired modifications, the students were less focused on teacher approval or normative standards of evaluation. Contrary to expectations, the intervention did not influence the students’ patterns of strategy use or achievement affect. The results highlight ways in which teachers can structure reading and language arts assignments to positively influence the students’ motivational profiles. © 1997 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.