Writing Motivation of Middle School Emergent Bilingual Students

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: Supporting the Literacy Development of Language Learners

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the writing motivations of 285 emergent bilingual students in grades six to eight with 285 of their peers whose first language was English. All students completed a district writing test and a survey assessing seven writing motivation incentives: curiosity, involvement, social recognition, grades, competition, emotional regulation, and relief from boredom. Students whose first language was English had higher scores on the district writing test than emergent bilingual students. Emergent bilingual students were most motivated to write for emotional regulation and social recognition. Students whose first language was English were most motivated to write for curiosity and involvement. The findings bolster our understanding of what may motivate emergent bilingual students to write.

Authors

• April Camping, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Steve Graham, Arizona State University, Editor Journal of Educational Psychology