Redefining Motivation to Read in a Foreign Language

Contrasted with an abundance of literature on motivation to communicate or interact in a second language, little work can be found on reading motivation in a second/foreign language. Hypothesizing that motivation to communicate may be different from motivation to read, the present study attempts to investigate foreign language reading motivation. The data for this study was obtained from an original questionnaire, which largely drew upon Wigfield and Guthrie's (1995, 1997) theory of reading motivation in L1. The results of a statistical analysis suggest that motivation to read in English may be divided into four sub-components, namely Intrinsic Value of Reading in English, Attainment Value of Reading in English, Extrinsic Utility Value of Reading in English, and Expectancy for Success in Reading in English