Bates, C. C.

Gambrell, Linda B.

Headley, Kathy N.

Malloy, Jacquelynn A.

English

Clemson University: TigerPrints

Literacy Motivation 7Literacy Motivation and Engagement:  Policies, Trends, and Practices by Linda B. Gambrell, Jacquelynn A. Malloy, C. C. Bates, and Kathy N. HeadleyToday’s teachers and adminis-trators face challenges that are characterized as unprecedented in complexity, particularly in the area of literacy education. They must con-stantly juggle the conflicting demands of instruction, assessment, and policy (Shanahan, 2014). The current stan-dards movement in the U.S. is one catalyst affecting the need for literacy leaders who are well prepared to imple-ment effective programs of instruction and assessment to ensure that students have the opportunity to become pro-ficient readers and writers. U.S. states have either adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) or are develop-ing their own state standards for English Language Arts (ELA) that represent a shared and consistent vision of what our students should know and be able to do (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of State School Officers, 2010). ELA standards are designed to foster higher achievement in reading and writing, thus allowing our students to compete more successfully in our global society. The goal of having stu-dents meet these standards is critical if we are to enable them to develop the 21st century literacy skills needed for college and career readiness. Research continues to show the importance of literacy development to students’ future academic and economic suc-cess (Shanahan, 2014). According to Ritchie and Bates (2013), second-grade reading achievement predicts what students’ incomes will be when they reach adulthood. In the current movement to develop and implement standards to increase college and career readiness, the role of motivation in learning is often overlooked; however, motivation to learn is vital to increasing literacy learning for our students. As we pursue the admirable goal of teaching to stan-dards that will increase student success in college and careers, we must avoid the possibility that in successfully teach-ing to the standards, we fail to develop highly motivated literacy learners. Students who are motivated to read and write will continue to be strategic and engaged readers, even when they are not in school. If students meet the ELA standards, but do not choose to read and write, they will never reach their full literacy potential. Thus, it is incum-bent upon literacy leaders to promote and support classroom practices that encourage motivation to read and write.Research suggests that the following classroom practices are associated with increased motivation to read and write.•	 Literacy tasks are authentic and related to the real world (Brophy, 2004; Cunningham & Allington, 2011; Gambrell, Hughes, Calvert, Malloy,  Igo, 2011; Guthrie, McRae, & Klauda, 2007).•	 Literacy tasks provide students with choice and goal-setting op-portunities (Cambourne, 1995; Guthrie et al., 2007).•	 The classroom environment pro-vides models, support, time, and materials necessary for literacy learning to flourish (Gambrell et al., 2011; Guthrie & McPeake, 2013).Clearly, students’ literacy motivation will be influenced, for better or worse, by the culture of the classroom. We suggest that literacy educators use the following questions to assess aspects of classroom cultures that support and nurture motivation to read and write.•	 Is the classroom rich in appropri-ate reading/writing materials?•	 Are students provided with opportu-nities to choose the books they read and the topics they write about?•	 Is adequate time allotted during the school day for independent reading and writing?•	 Is sufficient time devoted to teacher and peer sharing of  reading and writing?In working to assure that our students meet the challenging ELA standards, we must implement them in ways that promote a love of literacy and the development of lifelong readers and writers. An awareness of motivation research can provide infor-mation for creating classroom cultures that foster motivated and engaged literacy learners.—Linda B. Gambrell, Jacquelynn A. Malloy, C. C. Bates, and Kathy N. Headley Eugene T. Moore School of EducationClemson UniversityReferencesBrophy, J. (2004). Motivating students to learn (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Cunningham, P. M., & Allington, R. L. (2011). Classrooms that work: They can all read and write (2nd ed.). New York: Addison-Wesley.Cambourne, B. (1995). Toward an edu-cationally relevant theory of literacy learning: Twenty years of inquiry. The Reading Teacher, 49(3), 182–190.Gambrell, L. B., Hughes, E., Calvert, W., Malloy, J., & Igo, B. (2011).Authentic reading, writing, and discussion:  An exploratory study of a pen pal project. Elementary School Journal, 112(2), 234-258.Guthrie, J. T., & McPeake, J. (2013). Literacy engagement:  The missing link. In S. B. Neuman and L. B. Gambrell (Eds.), Quality reading instruction in the age of common core standards (pp. 162-175). Newark, DE:  International Reading Association.Guthrie, J. T., McRae, A., & Klauda, S. L. (2007). Contributions of concept-oriented reading instruction to knowledge about interventions for motivations in reading. Educational Psychologist, 42(4), 237-250.National Governors Association Center  for Best Practices & Council of  Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common Core State Standards for  English language arts and literacy in  history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Washington, DC: Retrieved from www.corestandards.rg/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf.Ritchie, S. J., & Bates, T. C. (2013). Endur-ing links from childhood mathematics and reading achievement to adult socioeconomic status. Psychological Science, 24(7), 1301-1308. Shanahan, T. (2014). Educational policy and literacy instruction:  Worlds apart? The Reading Teacher, 68(1), 7–12 doi:10.1002/trtr.1269 (http://dx.dooiorg/10.1002/trtr.1269)

Literacy Motivation and Engagement: Policies, Trends, and Practices

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Literacy Motivation and Engagement: Policies, Trends, and Practices

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