Reading Amount as a Mediator of the Effects of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Reading Motivation on Reading Comprehension

Abstract

This study examined the role of reading amount as a mediator of the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic reading motivation on higher order reading comprehension (comprised of paragraph‐ and passage‐level comprehension) in a sample of 159 fifth‐grade elementary students. A positive association between intrinsic reading motivation and reading amount was assumed, whereas a negative contribution to reading amount was expected for extrinsic reading motivation. As control variables, lower order reading comprehension (comprised of word‐ and sentence‐level comprehension), gender, and social desirability were taken into account. Structural equation analyses indicated that reading amount fully mediated the positive effect of intrinsic reading motivation on higher order comprehension, whereas extrinsic reading motivation exerted both indirect and direct negative effects on comprehension. Additional analyses confirmed a suppression effect and showed significant negative contributions of extrinsic reading motivation to reading amount and reading comprehension only when intrinsic reading motivation was simultaneously included as a predictor.

The Contributions of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Reading Motivation to the Development of Reading Competence over Summer Vacation

“…Prior studies confirmed the factorial validity of the RMQ (Schaffner & Schiefele, 2007;Schaffner, Schiefele, & Schmidt, 2013;Schaffner, Schiefele, & Ulferts, 2013). They also demonstrated that the different dimensions capture two higher-order factors: intrinsic reading motivation (interest and involvement) and extrinsic reading motivation (competence, competition, and social recognition).…”

“…Specifically, the participants were asked (a) how many books they have read during the last 12 months (1 = no book at all, 2 = 1 to 5 books, 3 = 6 to 10 books, 4 = 11 to 20 books, 5 = more than 20 books), (b) how long they usually read in a book without making a break (1 = 5 min, 2 = 15 min, 3 = 30 min, 4 = 60 min, 5 = more than 60 min), and (c) how often they read in their spare time (1 = about once a month, 2 = about once a week, 3 = several times in the week, 4 = daily, 5 = several times during the day). The validity of the scale is supported by significant positive associations with intrinsic reading motivation, reading comprehension, and different aspects of the home literacy environment (Schaffner, Schiefele, & Schmidt, 2013;Schaffner, Schiefele, & Ulferts, 2013).…”

The Effect of Learners’ Motivation on Their Reading Comprehension Skill: A Literature Review

“…Researchers who had spotlighted on motivation had discussed about the roles of cognitive and motivation alternatives interaction and the impact of variables on learners achievement. Moreover, recent studies focused on the developing of cognitive skills and vivacious activities to enhance learners reading motivation (Schaffner & Ulferts, 2013). Some of these studies had examined intrinsic motivation as a predictor of progress in several regions, such as reading, sports, and mathematics.…”

Teacher implementation of an adolescent reading intervention

“…This suggests that students' completion of comprehension workbooks prepared them to achieve on standardized tests, and thus that workbook completion serves as an adequate proxy for literacy gains. Furthermore, significant research has demonstrated that amount of reading is associated with reading achievement (e.g., Allington, 2012;Guthrie & McRae, 2012;Schaffner, Schiefele, & Ulferts, 2013). Therefore, it seems plausible that the associations between teachers' fidelity of implementation and students' workbook completion and number of words read suggest a relationship between FoI and student achievement on a larger scale, and that over time, the variation in FoI described in this study will contribute to differences in students' achievement in comprehension and fluency.…”