Call to Expand Reading Motivation Constructs: Examining Reading Experiences of Black Girls and #BookTok Users

• In Event: Saturday Roundtable Session 1:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring Equity-Focused Constructs and Contexts in Motivation Research (Table 14)

Abstract

Reading motivation (RM) dimensions need to be expanded to include more socially situated experiences and diverse perspectives. This paper uses two illustrative case studies and is grounded using situated, socio-cultural theory and centers groups of readers (#BookTok users and Black girls) and contexts (digital and in-person out-of-school spaces) that have been historically been overlooked in RM research. Both cases apply varying methodological pathways but concluded similar themes aligning collective community and identity affirming motivational experiences. This study names identity and collaborative community as RM dimensions which offer socially-situated ways of knowing and reading. By shifting away from examining only individual and textual experiences, this paper argues that socially enacted responses for and within contexts, situate individuals’ motivations to read.

Authors

• Sarah E. Jerasa, Clemson University

• Sara Ann Jones, Illinois State University