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Motivation, Self-Efficacy, and the Engaged Reader

What can teachers do to get middle school students to read? How can teachers create classroom cultures that support and nurture middle school students in becoming highly motivated readers? The results of a survey conducted by the National Reading Research Center indicated that these are questions that many educators ponder as they strive to address the literacy needs of students in the middle grades (Gambrell, 1996; O’Flahavan, Gambrell, Guthrie, Stahl, & Alvermann, 1992). Out of approximately 80 reading topics, teachers identified “creating interest in reading” as the top priority for reading research. Three other topics related to motivation appeared in the top 10 survey results: developing intrinsic desire for reading; increasing the amount and breadth of children’s reading; and exploring the roles teachers, peers, and parents play in increasing children’s motivation to read (Baker, 2003; O’Flahavan, Gambrell, Guthrie, Stahl, & Alvermann, 1992). In this article, we define reading motivation; discuss the decrease in motivation in the middle grades; explain the role self-efficacy plays in the learning process; and then show how using a variety of interesting comprehension strategies can help engage readers with their assignments.