Influences of Stimulating Tasks on Reading Motivation and Comprehension

• Published in: The Journal of educational research (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 99; no. 4; pp. 232 - 246
• Main Authors: Guthrie, John T., Wigfield, Allan, Humenick, Nicole M., Perencevich, Kathleen C., Taboada, Ana, Barbosa, Pedro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Heldref 01-03-2006; Heldref Publications; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Achievement tests; Active Learning; Biological and medical sciences; Classrooms; Context Effect; Correlation; Educational activities; Educational psychology; Elementary Education; Extracurricular activities; Faculty Development; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Grade 5; Hands on Science; Influence; intrinsic motivation; Investigations; Learning; Motivation; Motivation research; Owls; Pretests; Pretests Posttests; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychopedagogics. Didactics; Pupil and student. Academic achievement and failure; Reading; Reading Achievement; Reading Comprehension; Reading instruction; Reading Interests; Reading Motivation; reading motivation and comprehension; Scoring Rubrics; Secondary School Students; Standardized Tests; stimulating tasks; Stimulation; Student Motivation; Students; Teacher Guidance; Teacher Student Relationship; Teachers; Teaching Conditions; Teaching methods; Human; Verbal comprehension; Method; Long term; reading motivation and comprehension; Teaching; Reading; School age; Language; Motivation; stimulating tasks; intrinsic motivation; Primary school; Child
• ISSN: 0022-0671; 1940-0675
• DOI: 10.3200/JOER.99.4.232-246

ABSTRACT One theoretical approach for increasing intrinsic motivation for reading consists of teachers using situational interest to encourage the development of long-term individual interest in reading. The authors investigated that possibility by using stimulating tasks, such as hands-on science observations and experiments, to increase situational interest. Concurrently, the authors provided books on the topics of the stimulating tasks and teacher guidance for reading to satisfy curiosities aroused from the tasks. Students with a high number of stimulating tasks increased their reading comprehension after controlling for initial comprehension more than did students in comparable intervention classrooms with fewer stimulating tasks. Students' motivation predicted their level of reading comprehension after controlling for initial comprehension. The number of stimulating tasks did not increase reading comprehension on a standardized test when motivation was controlled, suggesting that motivation mediated the effect of stimulating tasks on reading comprehension. Apparently, stimulating tasks in reading increased situational interest, which increased longer term intrinsic motivation and reading comprehension.