Recent Findings Challenge a Common Understanding Relating to the Development of Intrinsic Reading Motivation

A substantial body of empirical work has led to the common understanding that intrinsic reading motivation tends to erode across the elementary school years (e.g., Wigfield et al., 2015). Intrinsic motivation generally refers to motivation stemming from an enjoyment and/or valuing of reading, whereas extrinsic motivation is typically tied to external rewards, such as recognition from others or material prizes. However, a recent person-centered study conducted in Germany suggests intrinsic reading motivation may actually increase in the upper elementary years. Schiefele and Loweke (2017) diverged from the traditional, variable-centered approach to studying students’ reading motivation over time, opting instead for a person-centered approach. Their person-centered method focused specifically on how students’ reading motivation profiles changed (as opposed to examining how individual factors related to motivation changed) from third grade to fourth. Students were classified as mainly intrinsically motivated, mainly extrinsically motivated, or as a combination of both based on survey self-reports.

Schiefele and Loweke (2017) found that many students who were originally classified as being a combination of intrinsically and extrinsically motivated shifted over time to being mainly intrinsically motivated, while some also shifted to being primarily extrinsically motivated. These profile-related changes, they argued can be overlooked in variable-centered studies that focus primarily on the mean difference in intrinsic and/or extrinsic motivation in a sample from one year to the next (Schiefele & Loweke, 2017). Whether or not Schiefele and Loweke’s (2017) findings will replace the dominant view of how intrinsic reading motivation develops over the elementary years will likely depend on the replicability of findings as well as the expansion of person-centered reading motivation research into the primary grades (K-2).

In the meantime, Schiefele and Loweke’s (2017) work did corroborate another common reading motivation understanding: students with high intrinsic motivation and low extrinsic motivation generally perform better on measures of reading comprehension than students reporting high extrinsic motivation. Put another way, educators can promote reading achievement by focusing their efforts on cultivating mainly intrinsic reading motivation; teachers can facilitate authentic reading experiences that are meaningful and enjoyable for students. In sum, though Schiefele and Loweke challenge the conventional view that intrinsic motivation typically erodes over the elementary years, they underscore the importance of nurturing it. So, how can you promote intrinsic reading motivation?

Niemiec and Ryan (2009) offer the following recommendations:

1. “[Minimize] the salience of evaluative pressure and any sense of coercion in the classroom”
2. “[Maximize] students’ perceptions of having a voice and a choice” in classroom tasks
3. “Provide students with a meaningful rationale for why a learning activity is useful”
4. “[Introduce] learning activities that are optimally challenging”

                                                                                          (Niemiec & Ryan, 2009, p.139)

Niemiec, C. P., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom: Applying self-determination theory to educational practice. Theory and Research In Education, 7(2), 133-144.

Schiefele, U., & Löweke, S. (2017). The nature, development, and effects of elementary students’ reading motivation profiles. Reading Research Quarterly, doi:10.1002/rrq.201

Wigfield, A., Eccles, J.S., Fredricks, J., Simpkins, S., Roeser, R.W., & Schiefele, U. (2015). Development of achievement motivation and engagement. In R.M. Lerner (Series Ed.) & M.E. Lamb (Vol. Ed.), Handbook of child psychology and developmental science: Vol. 3. Socioemotional processes (pp. 657–700). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.