The Role of Self-Determined Motivation, Self-Concept, and Home Contextual Components in Reading Achievement Among American Indian Students

• In Event: Motivation in Underrepresented Populations: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and Students With Disabilities

Abstract

In the US, ethnic minority students (e.g., students from American Indian (AI) backgrounds) typically perform lower in reading than their non-AI counterparts and experience a higher dropout rate in high school. Improving the educational experiences of AI students is of critical importance for educators, policy makers, and legislators. This study investigated motivational and home literacy factors in the prediction of reading achievement as well as the interplay between these variables. In a sample of 196 grade 5-8 AI students, multiple regression analyses indicated that reading self-concept was the strongest predictor of reading achievement; whereas, intrinsic motivation was negatively related to reading achievement. Potential explanations of the observed interrelations in the context of AI students will be discussed.

Authors

• Claudia C Sutter, University of Virginia

• Cassandra Howard

• Laurie O. Campbell, University of Central Florida