Young Children’s Motivation to Engage in Social Aspects of Reading

Abstract

This study examined the reading motivation of struggling readers in kindergarten through third grade (n = 52) with respect to factors associated with motivation, gender and age/grade level differences. Students' reading motivation was assessed using the Me and My Reading Profile (MMRP) with follow-up interviews conducted with 20% of the students (n = 13). Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed three factors associated with motivation to read: self-concept, value, and literacy out loud. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the scores on the MMRP revealed a statistically significant difference between the factors of value and literacy out loud, with value being the most positively rated factor. With respect to gender, ANOVA revealed that girls reported more positive motivation to read than boys, with girls scoring higher than boys on all three factors. The grade level analysis revealed that second and third grade students scored significantly higher on each factor, reflecting more positive motivation than students in kindergarten and first grade. These findings confirm the three factors associated with motivation to read (self-concept, value, and literacy out loud) reported in an earlier study and extends the findings to struggling readers in kindergarten through third grade. This finding challenges the notion that there is an inverse relationship between age/grade level and motivation to read. The findings of this study suggest that for struggling readers, motivation to read increases from Grades K/1 to 2/3.