Sociocultural Factors of Fourth Graders' Reading Motivation in the United States and Japan

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 32
  In Roundtable Session: Motivation in Literacy

Abstract

This study examined sociocultural factors impacting fourth graders’ reading motivation between the U.S. and Japan. A total of 24 students (12 students in each country: 4 highly motivated, 4 moderately motivated, and 4 less motivated readers) participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore sociocultural factors impacting their reading motivation in each country. The results in this study identified seven themes: (a) friends’ positive influences, (b) family involvement and expectations, (c) teachers’ influences and expectations, (d) religious influences, (e) favorite textual differences, (f) modality differences, and (g) strong impact of testing. This study suggests that cultural values play a significant role in students’ motivation to read.

Authors

• Hitomi Kambara, The University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley

• Bong Gee Jang, Syracuse University