KEY FINDINGS
> > Engagement, motivation, and a growth mindset work in concert (Conley, 2014). > > Our assessments must be sensitive to these developments and provide information that describes the status of self-efficacy, the nature of a student’s motivation, and the types of attribution that a student makes for reading success or failure. With such assessment information, we can create reading environments and instruction that foster healthy development of students’ cognition and affect (Afflerbach, 2016).
More to Know: Engagement Drives Reading Achievement
When it comes to reading achievement, engagement trumps all—it’s even more important than family background. In other words, it doesn’t matter what education or income a student’s parents may have—if students are drawn to read by deep longing and interest, they will succeed (Guthrie, 2008). Think of the inspiring stories of young people who read their way out of poverty and all sorts of life challenges (Westover, 2018; Walls, 2006; Murray, 2010). The research is equally powerful and convincing. Many studies show that intrinsic motivation drives student reading. Students who read for internal reasons (interest, pleasure, favorite topics) read a lot and do well on all measures of achievement. In contrast, students who read only for external reasons—prompted by grades, rewards, or recognition—do not read as often or as deeply (Cunningham and Stanovich, 1992; Guthrie, et al., 2013). As Miller and Sharp (2018) note, “Short-term reading excitement for an award or prize does not spark long-term reading engagement. Indeed, reading contests can harm students’ reading self-efficacy and interest … When we communicate to children that the only reason to read is to earn a reward or grade, we fail to impart reading’s true value. Reading is its own reward and bestows immeasurable gifts on readers.” Gallagher and Kittle (2018) maintain that choice drives engagement—and engagement drives reading and volume. Not only do motivated readers engage in significantly more reading than those who are extrinsically motivated, their level of engagement and comprehension tends to be deeper and richer (Fisher, Frey, and Lapp, 2012; Duke and Carlisle, 2011). What’s more, reading engagement and reading achievement interact in a spiral. Higher achievers read more, and the more engaged these students become, the higher they achieve. Engaged readers want to learn, and they are confident in their abilities. They
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CHAPTER 3: EQUITY
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