Mini Inquiry Research Project

By Lynn Stephenson

Read for 30 minutes each night.

Earn a certain number of Accelerated Reader points.

Read 25 books during the school year, but you have to read a few books from each genre.

School Reading Homework

“A student will not master a skill without a significant amount of practice” (Hill and Flynn, 2006).

Problem: Children will not do their independent reading assignments.

Frustrated parents and children.

Question: What motivates people to read, and what can I do to help motivate these children to read for school without parent pressure?

How many books have you read this past year?

Why do you read?

What kinds of books do you like to read?

What do you read other than books?

What motivates you to want to read?

What motivates you to not want to read?

How do you/did you feel when a teacher or other person tells you that you have to read?

Tell me about a person who inspired you to read. What did they do?

What advise would you give a teacher who is trying to motivate her students to read?

Survey

66% read 15 or more books this past year.

25% read for school assignments and 58% read for pleasure.

66% read magazines and newspapers.

The love of reading and entertainment were the most common reasons for a person to read.

Being busy was the most common reason for a person not to read.

Results

83% said that being required to read makes them to not want to read.

Do people like to be required to read by teachers?

Teachers

Mothers

Who inspired you to read?

What am I going to do to help motivate my son my and students to read?

Student Choice

Read

Provide students with independent reading time.

Help students develop intrinsic motivation.

Match students with appropriate reading material.

Provide students with real-world experiences and personal connections.

Encourage collaboration and discussion among students.

Reed (2000)

What Other Teachers Should Consider:

Hill, Jane and Kathleen Flynn. (2006). Classroom Instruction that Works with English language Learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

Reed, Deborah. Motivating Students to Read Issues and Practices. SEDL Letter Volume XVll, Number 1, June 2005, Reaching Our Reading Goals.

Works Cited