Motivation to Read
Reading proficiency requires the reader to independently begin and persist in reading tasks, actions that hinge on motivation (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). As students move through the grades, especially at the middle school level, their motivation to choose to read tends to decline (Donahue et al., 1999; Guthrie & Wigfield, 2000).
Feelings of competence and self-determination engendered by a reading task likely affects the reader's intrinsic motivation for it (Deci & Ryan, 1985). In a study of four struggling middle school readers, Kos (1991) found that despite expressing strong desires to read successfully, these students had negative views of reading in school settings, which they associated with feelings of failure. By the secondary grades, they readily recognized the simplified text that has been written for their remediation and associated such materials with failure and social stigma. Authentic texts (such as newspapers and trade books) and choice in selecting reading materials are especially important for fostering reading persistence in struggling secondary readers (Cope, 1993; Worthy, 1996). Instructional scaffolding for choosing authentic materials has also improved reading interest and skill among these students (Ammann & Mittelsteadt, 1987; Collins, 1996; Ryan & Brewer, 1990).