A Reader Inside and Out: Fluctuation and Stability in Literacy Motivation in School and Outside School

• In Event: Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Literacy and Learning in Local Contexts

Abstract

Research on adolescents documents a decline in reading motivation as students persist in school. Yet qualitative research reveals that the same adolescents who are unmotivated in school are highly motivated outside school. A cross-context understanding of these learners’ literacy motivations is necessary for designing engaging instruction. However, current motivation assessments are context-neutral. This study explores a context-sensitive measure of literacy motivation and daily fluctuations in motivation across contexts. A daily diary study was conducted with 115 fifth graders. Data were analyzed using factor analysis and multilevel modeling. Results verify a consistent factor structure for both contexts and large daily intra-individual fluctuations in reading motivation. The present study provides a more context-sensitive understanding of reading motivation useful for creating motivation-rich instruction.

Author

• Sabina Rak Neugebauer, University of Connecticut