Mediators of Reading Motivation Among Filipino Collegiate Students

Abstract

In literacy development, the affective conditions are equally important as the cognitive conditions. However, the role of motivation, an essential affective component of the reading process and what drives it are often overlooked specially among adolescent readers. Using an ethnographic approach, this paper identifies mediators of reading motivation among collegiate learners through analyses of online journals, reading profiles, and transcribed interviews of 17 Filipino collegiate students. The study draws largely from the reading model of Guthrie and Wigfield (2000) and Kozulin’s (2003) discussion of mediated learning based on Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural theory. Results showed that psychological and emotional satisfaction, prosocial goals, prevailing social values, and multi-modal learning experiences were the prime drivers of motivation to read among adolescent readers. The findings of this study underscore the importance of understanding and knowing what teenagers read, why they read, and what engages them to read. Such knowledge will inform instructional decisions on selection of learning resources and literacy activities that are engaging and relevant to adolescent learners’ experiences, needs, and goals.