Motivation for Reading: Multidimensional and Cross-Cultural

• In Event: 31.091 - Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: 31.091-1 - Advances and Issues in the Measurement of Reading Motivation

Abstract

In recent years, it has become clear that it is not sufficient only to possess the cognitive skills necessary for reading. To become lifelong literacy learners, children must be motivated to engage in literacy activities. Ample research evidence from the West has shown that motivation is a key factor in reading success (e.g., Baker & Scher, 2002; Guthrie & Coddington, 2009). Despite the centrality of motivational issues in learning to read, they have rarely been the focus of literacy research among Chinese-speaking students. Our knowledge about Chinese children’s reading motivation is limited (Wang & Guthrie, 2004), partly because no effective assessment instrument has been available to measure it. The present study is a construct validity investigation of the Motivations for Reading Questionnaire (MRQ; Wigfield, Guthrie, & McGough, 1996) to explore the underlying dimensions of reading motivation for Chinese students.

The MRQ measures the following 11 motivations for reading: reading efficacy (8 items), importance (2 items), curiosity (8 items), involvement (7 items), preference for challenge (8 items), recognition (8 items), grades (6 items), competition (8 items), social (8 items), compliance (8 items), and work avoidance (9 items). Several research studies have empirically validated these proposed constructs (e.g., Wigfield & Guthrie, 1997; Wigfield, Wilde, Baker, Fernandez-Fein, and Scher, 1996; Baker & Wigfield, 1999; Guthrie et al., 1999).

The MRQ adapted for this study contains 80 items tapping the 11 dimensions of reading motivation. The structural validity of the MRQ was investigated with 2 Chinese samples: (a) 320 students in Grades 3, 5 and 7 from 2 elementary and middle schools in suburban Beijing, and (b) 217 students in Grade 7 from 2 middle schools in Qiqihaer, Northern China.

The MRQ was originally written in English and translated into Chinese for this study. As one step in establishing the comparability of the English and Chinese measures, the Chinese instruments were back-translated into English by an independent translator and compared against the originals in English for equivalence of meaning. Then the Chinese measures were piloted with 50 students in China (reliability coefficient α = .73-.93).

Using confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs), the theoretical 11-factor structure was checked to see if they adequately fit the data in either sample. Subsequently, exploratory factor analyses were applied to find the factors that fit for each sample, and common items that define each factor. Finally, a double CFA cross-validation was applied to check the adequate fit for both samples. Based on the results, we revised the MRQ for Chinese students (refer to Watkins & Coffey, 2004 for analysis details), and this revised version will be presented.

There is a paucity of research on motivation and education in developing countries. To better understand reading motivation in Chinese-speaking children and the affective change in high-stakes educational evaluations in general, a valid and reliable measurement is the prerequisite. This research project aimed to fulfill this goal.

Author

• Qiuying Wang, Oklahoma State University