To Read or Not To Read: Listening to Children Talk about Reading Motivation

Abstract

Developing the will to read is an important, albeit sometimes neglected consideration in fostering literacy among children. Drawing from research on reading motivation by Wigfield and Guthrie (1997), who talk about reading motivation as anchored upon self efficacy beliefs, purpose, and a social component, Rosenblatt’s (1994) Transactional Theory of Reading which highlights the stances one takes while reading, Krashen’s (2004 and 2009) research on the conditions that make Free Voluntary Reading optimal, and Miller’s (2011) research on materiality and how objects have an agency that could either build or cripple the capacities of students influences this study as it examines the factors that contribute to reading motivation among middle graders. In order to answer my main research questions, I engaged eight students from grades 3 to 6 in informal interviews (pakikipagkuwentuhan) about reading. These students came from either public, private or state-funded laboratory schools. Depending on the flow of each conversation, the questions asked the students varied at times. Results indicate that both human and symbolic mediators work together to Foster reading motivation among middle graders. These different mediators of reading motivation are the focus of this research. Implications for reading instruction may be gleaned from this study.