Motivating Middle School Readers: Results from a 3-year Mixed Methods Study

Framework

The MSFLI program specifically focuses on providing books that activate joy through culturally and historically responsive literature (Vlach et al., 2023) through middle grades books that are inclusive of diverse races and ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, social classes, religions, family structures, abilities and the intersections of these identities (examples of books shared during the presentation). We define joy as frequency, motivation, and engagement in reading with a goal to explore the connection between reading joy and reading achievement.

Motivation

Reading motivation is “the relatively stable readiness of a person to initiate particular reading activities” (Schiefele et al., 2012, p. 429). Research aligns reading motivation with reading achievement (e.g., Becker et al., 2010; Cartwright et al., 2016; Toste et al., 2020). The MSFLI program model focuses on choice, access, and engagement as mediators to increase students’ motivation and, resultantly, reading achievement.

Choice

Research demonstrates students increase their engagement towards tasks when allowed to make learning choices (Schunk, et al., 2013). When children self-select reading materials, they are more likely to read voluntarily (Krashen, 2004) and develop intrinsic motivation to read (Fisher & Fray, 2018). Furthermore, students are more engaged readers when the books and characters are relevant and relatable (Sciurba, 2014; Sleeter, 2008).

Access

Access to reading material, particularly printed books in the home, is strongly correlated with academic achievement (Evans et al., 2010; Lindsay, 2010; Neuman & Celano, 2001). While book ownership and choice provide a strong motivation to read, Neuman (2017) found that increased access to books alone did not increase early literacy skills. Book ownership needs to be supplemented by a systemic, targeted set of strategies and activities to ensure that literacy development proceeds apace (Kim & White, 2008).

Engagement

Middle school students are engaged and motivated when the learning tasks provide discussion opportunities that are not teacher-centric or mediated by question-response style. A meta- analysis of 800 studies demonstrates that having classroom and group discussions has a strong effect size (.82) on student learning (Hattie, 2009). Students talk about text deepens motivation and understanding (Richardson, 2010; Strom, 2014). Book clubs and literature circles provide self-guided opportunities for students to talk about texts. When peers and trusted adults make book recommendations, students increase their independent and voluntary reading (Fisher & Fray, 2018).

Choice, access, and engagement increase students’ motivation and frequency for reading. Independent reading volume impacts overall reading achievement (see Mol & Bus, 2011). MSFLI is grounded in choice, access, and engagement to drive student confidence and motivation, and ultimately increase reading frequency and performance by providing support resources for students, educators, and families.

Methods

We designed a quasi-experimental, mixed-methods study to evaluate the program's effects on reading motivation and reading achievement. The study uses qualitative and quantitative data from students’ to: (1) Track changes in students' perceptions of reading and their literacy skills over time, and (2) Compare the reading achievement of program participants with a matched comparison group of students (year three).

In years one and two, we sought to answer questions: (1) How do students describe their engagement with the program, and (2) What do the years one and two survey data show about any changes in the value students place on reading and in their perceptions of themselves as readers?

Quantitative data included the Motivation to Read Profile (MRP) pre- and post-surveys. The MRP measures the value students place on reading and their self-concept as a reader (Malloy et al., 2013). With the items identified by Pitcher, et al. (2007), we calculated scaled scores for students’ value of reading and self-concept as a reader from the fall 2022, spring 2023, fall 2023, and spring 2024 survey data. We used factor analysis with post-estimation regression predictions to generate scores for each scale for each student who completed the survey. We then rescaled the resulting scores so that the scores would have a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 10. Scores ranged from 80 to 120. Factor analysis confirmed Cronbach’s (1951) alphas of 0.83 (self-concept) and 0.87 (value of reading). These alphas are slightly stronger than those reported in Malloy, et al. (2013).

From year one, 6,201 students in 25 schools responded to the survey in fall 2022 and 1,598 students in 14 schools responded in spring 2023. From year two, 3,019 students in 29 schools responded to the survey in fall 2023 and 382 students in 14 schools responded to the survey in Spring 2024. In both years, we observe the number of student responses declining between fall and spring administrations. We remain confident in the results despite the lower spring response rate; across sites, the schools included in the study are very similar in demographic and other socioeconomic characteristics, and we do not see evidence in the school-level data to suggest that the non-response was related to any school-level factors.
In the third year of the study, we will use standardized reading assessment data across groups of participating students and non-participating comparison students selected using a two-stage (school-level, student-level) matching process to evaluate the program’s impact on reading achievement. However, that analysis is outside of the scope of the current paper. The current paper presents outcomes from years one and two of the program.

In years one and two, qualitative data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews and focus groups with students via Zoom. Qualitative data was analyzed using Atlas.ti software to code focus groups on key themes including students’ enthusiasm about reading, their engagement in the program, and their reading preferences. Inter-rater reliability across three coders was over 90 percent accurate.

Results

Analyses of year one and two data from focus groups with students and student surveys indicate that the program is associated with increases in students' perceptions and reports of their own reading. For example, on the spring 2023 MRP administration, students reported higher rates of confidence in reading (e.g., more confidence in reading aloud, increases in their ability to figure out words they don't know) and increases in their interest in reading (e.g., that they read when they have free time, that they appreciate receiving a book as a present, that they recommend books they enjoyed to a friend).

Quantitative

In year one, across all grades, we found small increases in students’ self-concept and value of reading between fall and spring (Table 1). Specifically for grades 7 and 8, we found a score difference of between 0.5 and 1.3 points (Tables 2 and 3). These differences translate to effect sizes of between 0.05 and 0.13.

  Consistent with year one findings, students’ scores on the MRP self-concept as a reader and value or reading scales increased significantly in year two. Across all grades and both scales, the increases between fall 2023 and spring 2024 were significant (Table 4; effect size = 0.8 SD for self-concept and value, p < 0.05).

Though the impacts on students in all grades were significant and positive, we observe particularly large growth in scores for 8th graders during the 2023-24 school year (Table 5). Eighth graders scores increased by 16.7 points on the self-concept scale and by 18.7 points on the value of reading scale between fall 2023 and spring 2024 with effect sizes of 1.7 SD for self-concept and 1.9 SD for value.
Specifically, we wanted to understand the programmatic impacts on students’ perceptions of reading as a social activity and reading as an individual activity. In year one focus groups with students and coordinators, we heard that students were joining with friends to select the same book to form book clubs and to participate in other social reading activities with their friends. To understand students’ attitudes towards reading as a social and as an individual activity, we analyzed additional MPR subscales measuring the value of social and individual reading. Students’ scores increased significantly on both scales, with a slightly greater increase on the reading as a social activity than on the scale that measured the value of reading as an individual activity (Tables 6 and 7). Effect sizes were 0.9 SD for reading as a social activity and 1.6 SD for reading as an individual activity.

Qualitative

Consistent with quantitative findings about student increases in value of reading as a social activity, through focus groups we found that students self-initiated reading activities (e.g., in one school, students jointly selected a book with the specific intent of reading the book in a peer-lead book club).

Finding 1) Students were enthusiastic about new books. One student shared, “I feel like people who don't have access to books other than in their school media center or their public library near them, it's kind of nice to have books in your house that you always have access to and
you can constantly read over them…I think that's really awesome that people just get to take home books, that it's free.” Additionally, one student shared, “The book that I got was about a girl that was in seventh grade, and she was trying to find her way during seventh grade, and she was struggling kind of. I love that book because I can relate to it because I'm also in seventh grade, and it took me a moment to get into the gist of things, so reading that book made me comfortable.”

Finding 2) Students shared books with family members and took pride in reading. One student talked about the role books play in English language development, “Sometimes I give some of my books to my cousins in El Salvador so that they can improve their English and I think it's really helping them.” Another student explained, “I read the books because I have siblings that I can read to and I love to see their reactions to their books.”

Finding 3) Increases in self-concept and value of reading. Students spoke of the benefits of being able to re-read books when they owned them–improving their reading skills and aiding their comprehension and understanding. One student explained, “[My reading has improved] because they make you want to read at home and reading more helps you get better.”

Importance

As explored through the literature reviewed, there is significant research on the importance of student choice and self-selection of texts as well as opportunities to discuss texts in ways that are not teacher-directed. However, one unique finding in the preliminary results of this study is the ways in which students self-initiated reading engagement activities including taking pride and sharing books with their families. Providing choice, access, and engagement opportunities for the predominantly Black middle school students involved in this study acted as a launching point for activating student-initiated literacy practices and reading joy. Much of literacy research has been focused on the cognitive processes of reading, furthering our understanding of the role of motivation in adolescent readers will help inform instruction and intervention for this critical group of students.

References

Becker, M., McElvany, N., & Kortenbruck, M. (2010). Intrinsic and extrinsic reading motivation
as predictors of reading literacy: A longitudinal study. Journal of Educational
Psychology, 102, 773–785.

Cartwright, K. B., Marshall, T. R., & Wray, E. (2016). A longitudinal study of the role of reading
motivation in primary students’ reading comprehension: Implications for a less simple
view of reading. Reading Psychology, 37, 55–91.

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2018). Raise reading volume through access, choice, discussion, and
book talks. The Reading Teacher, 72(1), 89-97.

Krashen, S. (2004). The power of reading: Insights from the research (2nd ed.). Heinemann and Westport.

Lindsay, J. (2010). Children's access to print material and education-related outcomes: Findings
from a meta-analytic review.

Malloy, J. A., Marinak, B. A., Gambrell, L. B., & Mazzoni, S. A. (2013). Assessing motivation
to read: The motivation to read profile–revised. The Reading Teacher, 67(4), 273-282.

Morgan, P. L., & Fuchs, D. (2007). Is there a bidirectional relationship between children’s
reading skills and reading motivation? Exceptional Children, 73(2), 165–183.

Petscher, Y. (2010). A meta-analysis of the relationship between student attitudes
towards reading and achievement in reading. Journal of Research in Reading, 33(4),
335–355.

Pitcher, S. M., Albright, L. K., DeLaney, C. J., Walker, N. T., Seunarinesingh, K., Mogge, S., & Dunston, P. J. (2007). Assessing adolescents' motivation to read. Journal of adolescent & adult literacy, 50(5), 378-396.

Toste, J. R., Didion, L., Peng, P., Filderman, M. J., & McClelland, A. M. (2020). A meta-
analytic review of the relations between motivation and reading achievement for K-12
students. Review of Educational Research, 90, 420–456.

Schiefele, U., Schaffner, E., Möller, J., & Wigfield, A. (2012). Dimensions of reading motivation
and their relation to reading behavior and competence. Reading Research Quarterly, 47,
427–463.

Schunk, D.H., Meece, J.R., & Pintrich, P.R. (2013). Motivation in education: Theory, research,
and applications (4th ed.). Pearson.

Sciurba, K. (2014). Texts as mirrors, texts as windows: Black adolescent boys and the complexities of textual relevance. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 58(4), 308-316.

Sleeter, C. E. (2008). Involving students in selecting reading materials. In M. Pollock (Ed.), Everyday antiracism: Getting real about race in school (pp. 150 – 153). The New Press.

Vlach, S. K., Lentz, T. S., & Muhammad, G. E. (2023). Activating Joy Through Culturally and
Historically Responsive Read‐Alouds. The Reading Teacher.