Young English Learners' Perceptions of a Reading Intervention: A Case Study of Motivation and Engagement

• In Event: Child and Family Experience in Early Learning Settings

Abstract

Motivation plays a critical role in engaging students in reading and related activities; it influences proficiency and achievement. However, studies examining young readers’ motivation are thin, and studies investigating the motivation of young “English learners” (ELs) are scarcer still. Moving beyond the author’s previous work, this study explores the motivation-related perceptions of three “at-risk” ELs specific to their involvement in a school-based reading intervention. Kindergarten and first-grade students’ motivation-related perceptions (collected Spring of 2021) were considered alongside adult reports of their engagement to infer how the program might be shaping their motivation. Children associated a range of benefits and costs with intervention involvement. One child reported not wanting to participate. Children’s self-reports may be used to support their motivation.

Author

• Joy Dangora Erickson, Endicott College