Reading Motivation and Engagement: Integrating Competency-Related Beliefs and Literacy Instruction in English Language Arts

INTRODUCTION: Many adolescents today have reached a state of stagnation regarding the development of their literacy skills. Strategic reading motivation and engagement instruction, when combined with standard English Language Arts curriculum, can benefit and increase student reading skills in the secondary classroom. CHALLENGE: Students are transitioning from middle school and graduating high school with reading levels that fall short of the basic required standards needed to become contributing, successful, and literate members of society. Thus, this project focused on finding resources to build student motivation and engagement through the continual development of student reading identities in the classroom. OUTCOME: Research empirically shows that students need a clear understanding of their reading tasks and why reading is important to become self-motivated readers and develop competency-related beliefs and skills. Furthermore, research advocates for student choice as a motivational strategy. Students need an active role in their reading lives, which includes making decisions about what they read in class. With this philosophy, teachers become classroom facilitators who guide students on their individual reading journeys. IMPACT: Through the support of literacy intervention and motivational strategies, English Language Arts instructors can provide students with the opportunity to improve their self-efficacy around reading and guide them towards recognizing the value literacy holds as a universal skill. This project offers students essential tools and resources to help them break the stagnant cycle of low literacy levels, while simultaneously promoting student autonomy in their individual reading lives and fostering motivational and engagement practices