This short-term longitudinal study investigated the relationships between students’ reading self-concept, goals for reading, and reading fluency skill over the course of the second grade year. Second grade children (N=185) were administered the Test of Word Reading Efficiency, the second grade Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, and an adapted version of Motivation to Read Profile at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. Results showed that students’ goals for reading were related to reading self-concept, but unrelated to reading fluency. In addition, reading self-concept was significantly related to reading fluency at each time point. Latent-variable path analysis was used to test four potential relationships between students’ reading self-concept and reading fluency skill: (a) an independence model; (b) a skill development model; (c) a self-enhancement model; and (d) a reciprocal effects model. Support for a reciprocal model was found between students’ reading fluency skill and reading self-concept over the second grade year. This finding also indicated that students’ reading self-concept begins to influence their reading achievement earlier than previous research had indicated. Implications for educational practice and future research will also be discussed.
The constructs of motivation for reading and reading engagement have frequently become blurred and ambiguous in both research and discussions of practice. To address this commingling of constructs, the authors provide a concise review of the literature on motivation for reading and reading engagement and illustrate the blurring of those concepts in theoretical discussions and in measurement instruments. The authors then identify differences, clarify the constructs, and show how distinguishing reading motivation from engagement can deepen our understanding of their uniqueness and interplay. Implications for research and applications to instruction are explored.The constructs of motivation for reading and reading engagement are frequently invoked to describe forces behind readers' behaviors. While often providing explanatory power for why readers read and their involvement in reading, these two constructs frequently lack conceptual and operational clarity. The blurring of their meanings often contributes to their commingling and their imprecise application and measurement. The existence of an array of theories and models of motivation for reading and reading engagement has contributed to a significant degree of perplexity for practitioners and researchers applying and investigating these constructs. Our intentions are (a) to provide a succinct review of the literature on motivation for reading and reading engagement, (b) to illustrate the blurring of those concepts in theoretical discussions and in measurement instruments, (c) to disentangle them, and (d) to suggest how distinguishing
The transition into kindergarten is important because it sets the foundation for future academic achievement. Identifying a child's readiness at school entry and intervening appropriately facilitates positive academic outcomes. The Kindergarten Student Entrance Profile (KSEP) is a school district developed universal screening measure used to assess children's readiness for school. This action research study reports on the psychometric proprieties of the KSEP, including its prediction of academic achievement through grade 2. Results suggest promising psychometric characteristics. Discussion focuses on uses of the KSEP for school readiness evaluations and future research.
Five popular, but distinctly different, remedial reading programs were reviewed regarding the potential to motivate children to read. It is argued that current remedial reading program designs and research on program effectiveness ignore the impact that motivation has on struggling readers. In addition, we develop a theory of reading motivation specific to struggling readers that highlights motivational constructs we feel are important to the improvement of reading skill for this population of students. The three aspects of reading motivation most relevant to the instruction of remedial readers include: (a) improving reading self-efficacy; (b) making internal and controllable outcome attributions for successes and failures associated with reading; and (c) establishing personally relevant value in becoming a better reader. We conclude that, while most programs address some motivational issues and other issues not at all, most programs could make minor modifications that would greatly enhance their motivational impact.
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