Motivation for Reading (MRQ)

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 394 137 CS 012 441

AUTHOR Wigfield, Allan; And OthersTITLE A Questionnaire Measure of Children's Motivations for

Reading. Instructional Resource No. 22.INSTITUTION National Reading Research Center, Athens, GA.;

National Reading Research Center, College Park,MD.

SPONS AGENCY Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED),Washington, DC.

PUB DATE 96CONTRACT 117A20007NOTE 24p.PUB TYPE Reports Descriptive (141) Tests/Evaluation

Instruments (160)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Evaluation Methods; Intermediate Grades; Junior High

Schools; Middle Schools; *Questionnaires; *ReadingAttitudes; *Reading Motivation; Sex Differences;*Student Attitudes

IDENTIFIERS *Motivations for Reading Questionnaire

ABSTRACTThis paper describes the Motivations for Reading

Questionnaire (MRQ), including information on how the MRQ can be usedand how to administer and score it. The MRQ assesses 11 possibledimensions of reading motivations. It can be used with children inlate elementary school and middle school. Scores on the MRQ have beenshown to relate to children's reported reading frequency, and theirperformance on different standardized tests. It can be used invarious ways in schools: for instance, to generate profiles ofchildren's motivations change over the course of a school year, or tosee how boys' and girls' reading motivations differ. Contains 13references and 2 tables of data. The Motivations for ReadingQuestionnaire is attached. (Author/RS)

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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

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ALLAN WIGFIELD JOHN T. GUTHRIE

A

KAREN MCGOUGH

NRRCNational Reading Research Center

!ehU S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Off,e of Id.xahonat Research and imprcrvernorlEDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION

CENTER (ERIC)fe/This document has been reproduced as

received from the person or organizationoriginating ii

CI Minor changes have bean made rorriprove reproduction qualify

Instructional Resource No. 22Spring 1996

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

Points of view or opinions staled in thisdocument do not necessarify reprecentofficial OERI position or policy 2

NRRCNational Reading Research Center

A Questionnaire Measure ofChildren's Motivations for Reading

Allan WigfieldJohn T. GuthrieKaren Mc Gough

University of Maryland College Park

INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE NO. 22Spring 1996

The work reported herein is a National Reading Research Project of the University of Georgiaand Unive-sity of Maryland. It was supported under the Educational Research andDevelopmeL t Centers Program (PR/AWARD NO. I I7A20007) as administered by the Officeof Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. The findings andopinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the position or policies of the NationalReading Research Center, the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, or the U.S.Department of Education.

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About the National Reading Research Center

The National Reading Research Center (NRRC) isfunded by the Office of Fducational Research andImprovement of the U.S. Department of Education toconduct research on reading and reading instruction.The NRRC is operated by a consortium of the Univer-sity of Georgia and the University of Maryland CollegePark in collaboration with researchers at several institu-tions nationwide.

The NRRC's mission is to discover and documentthose conditions in homes, schools, and communitiesthat encourage children to become skilled, enthusiastic,lifelong readers. NRRC researchers are committed toadvancing the development of instructional programssensitive to the cognitive, sociocultural, and motiva-tional factors that affect children's success in reading.NRRC researchers from a variety of disciplines conductstudies with teachers and students from widely diversecultural and socioeconomic backgrounds in pre-kinder-garten through grade 12 classrooms. Research projectsdeal with the influence of family and family-schoolinteractions on the development of literacy; the interac-tion of sociocultural factors and motivation to read; theimpact of literature-based reading programs on readingachievement; the effects of reading strategies instructionon comprehension and critical thinking in literature,science, and history; the influence of innovative groupparticipation structures on motivation and learning; thepotential of computer technology to enhance literacy;and the development of methods and standards foralternative literacy assessments.

The NRRC is further committed to the participationof tc:ichers as full partners in its research. A betterunderstanding of how teachers view the development ofliteracy, how they use knowledge from research, andhow they approach change in the classroom is crucial toimproving instruction. To further this understanding,the NRRC conducts school-based research in whichteachers explore their own philosophical and pedagogi-cal orientations and trace their professional growth.

Dissemination is an important feature of NRRCactivities. Information on NRRC research appears inseveral formats. Research Reports communicate theresults of original research or synthesize the findings ofseveral lines of inquiry. They are written primarily forresearchers studying various areas of reading andreading instruction. The Perspective Series presents awide range of publications, from calls for research andcommentary on research and practice to first-personaccounts of experiences in schools. InstructionalResources include curriculum materials, instructionalguides, and materials for professional growth, designedprimarily for teachers.

For more information about the NRRC's researchprojects and other activities, or to have your nameadded to the mailing list, please contact:

Donna E. Alvermann, Co-DirectorNational Reading Research Center318 Aderhold HallUniversity of GeorgiaAthens, GA 30602-7125(706) 542-3674

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Peter AfflerbachUniversity of Maryland College Park

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Marlia BanningUniversity of Utah

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Athens, Georgia

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Sacramento

Olivia SarachoUniversity of Maryland College Park

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Robert SerpellUniversity of Maryland Baltimore

County

Betty ShockleyFowler Drive Elementary School

Athens, Georgia

Wayne H. SlaterUniversity of Maryland ,:ollege Park

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Susan SonnenscheinUniversity of Maryland Baltimore

County

Bernard SpodekUniversity of Illinois

Bettie St. PierreUniversity of Georgia

e StahlUniversity of Georgia

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and hnprovernent

Louise TomlinsonUniversity of Georgia

Bruce VanSledrightUniversity of Maryland College Park

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Louise WaynantPrince Georg's County Schools

Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Dera WeaverAthens Academy

Athens, Georgia

Jane WestAgnes Scott College

Renee WeisburgElkins Park, Pennsylvania

Allen WigfieldUniversity of Maryland College Park

Shelley WongUniversity of Maryland College Park

Josephine Peyton YoungUniversity of Georgia

Hallic YuppCalifornia State University

About the Authors

Allan Wigfield is an associate professor in theDepartment of Human Development at the Univer-sity of Maryland College Park. His research inter-ests include the development and socialization ofchildren's motivation and achievement-relatedbeliefs and attitudes. He received his Ph.D. ineducational psychology from the University ofIllinois at Urbana-Champaign. He can be contactedat le Department of Human Development, Univer-sity of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742.

John T. Guthrie is a professor of Human Devel-opment at the University of Maryland CollegePark, and Co-Director of the National ReadingResearch Center (NRRC). The Center cOnductsstudies of reading, writing, science and historylearning, assessment and professional development.Prior to this position Dr. Guthrie headed theUniversity of Maryland's Center for Educational

Research and Development. Dr. Guthrie wasformerly the Director of Research for the Interna-tional Reading Association 1974-1984. He receivedhis Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in Educa-tional Psychology. In 1992, the National ReadingConference awarded him the Oscar Causey awardfor outstanding contributions to reading research.He is a Fellow in the American PsychologicalAssociation, American Psychological Society, theNational Council of Research in English, and waselected to the Readin: Hall of Fame in 1994. Dr.Guthrie's interests are literacy development andenvironments for learning.

Karen McGough was a master's student in theDepartment of Human Development, University ofMaryland. While she was completing her master'sdegree, she was a Research Assistant at the Na-tional Reading Research Center.

A Questionnaire Measureof Children's Motivations

For Reading

Allan WigfieldJohn T. Guthrie

Karen Mc GoughUniversity of Maryland

College Park

National Reading Research CenterUniversities of Georgia and Maryland

Instructional Resource No. 22Spnng 1996

Abstract. In this Instructional Resource we describethe Motivations for Reading Questionnaire (MRQ).We provide information about how the MRQ can beused, and how to administer and score it. The MRQassesses I I possible dimensions of reading motiva-tions. It can be used with children in late elementaryschool and middle school. Scores on the MRQ havebeen shown to relate to children's reported readingfrequency, and their pcnformance on differentstandardized tests. It can be used in various ways inschools; for instance, to generate profiles of chil-dren's motivations change over the course of aschool year, or to see how boys' and girls' readingmotivations differ.

The Motivations for Reading Questionnaire(MRQ) is designed to assess different aspectsof children's motivations for reading. It iswell-known that children's motivation can

1

affect their performance in different achieve-ment areas, including reading (for furtherdiscussion, see Oldfather & Wigfield, 1996,Wigfield, 1994, and Wigfield & Guthrie,1995). However, few measures of children'smotivations for reading exist, which has madeit difficult to assess the ways in which childrenare motivated (or not motivated) to read, andto assess the relation of reading motivations toachievement in reading. The engagementperspective that provides the theoretical frame-work for much of the ongoing work at theNational Reading Research Center emphasizesthe importance of motivation to engaged read-ing. A survey of IRA members done in 1992indicated that students' motivation (or lack ofmotivation) to read was one of teachers' great-est concerns. Therefore, it is important toobtain a better understanding of children'sreading motivations, and to devise tools tomeasure reading motivations.

Development of the MRQ

To develop the MRQ, we integrated re-search from both the general motivationliterature and work on literacy motivations.Motivational researchers have proposed andinvestigated what they consider to be the mostimportant motivational constructs that mediateachievement behavior (for further discussion ofthese constructs, see Oldfather & Wigfield,1996, and Wigfield & Guthrie, 1995). Yetmost of the work of these researchers has beenon motivation in general rather than motivationfor specific areas such as reading. Literacyresearchers have looked at what engages chil-dren and adults in reading, but often onlyconsider some of the constructs defined by

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Wigfield, Guthrie, & Mc Gough

motivation theorists in their discussions ofreading engagement. Therefore, measuresdeveloped by these researchers have assessedmore general attitudes toward reading (e.g.,Alexander & Filler, 1976; McKenna & Kear,1990) rather than specific dimensions of read-ing motivations stemming from motivationtheory.

To integrate both these areas into thequestionnaire. we first developed a set ofpossible dimensions or constructs that couldcomprise reading motivations, and wrote itemsto measure those dimensions. We then inter-viewed a small group of children to see howthey described their own motivations for read-ing, and modified some of the items followingthese interviews (for more detailed discussion,see Wigfield & Guthrie, 1995).

The first two dimensions assess children'ssense of competence and efficacy in reading,constructs that are prominent in many motiva-tion theories. These theorists (e.g., Bandura,1977; Wigfield, 1994) propose that individualsare more likely to do tasks or activities whenthey think they can master the activity. There-fore, to succeed in reading chileren need tobelieve they can read. We call these dimensionsReading Efficacy, the belief that one can besuccessful at reading, and Reading Challenge,the satisfacL on of mastering or assimilatingcomplex ideas in text.

The next set of dimensions are based ontheoretical work on intrinsic versus extrinsicmotivation. Motivation theorists in this areapropose that intrinsic motivation, or the interestand enjoyment one gets from an activity, is apowerful motivational force (e.g., Deci &Ryan, 1985; Harter, 1981). We developed

three dimensions on the MRQ that assessaspects of intrinsic motivation: Reading Curi-osity, the desire to learn about a particulartopic of interest to the child; Reading TopicsAesthetically Enjoyed, or the enjoyment ofexperiencing different kinds of literary orinformational texts; and Importance of Read-ing, which is a dimension taken from Eccles'and Wigfield's (e.g., Eccles et al., 1983;Wigfield & Eccles, 1992) work on the natureof individual's valuing of different tasks oractivities. The notion of aesthetic enjoymentgained from reading refers to the pleasuregained from reading a well-written book orarticle on a topic one finds interesting. Al-though similar in certain ways to intrinsicmotivation to read, this kind of aesthetic enjoy-ment is something we thought to be unique tothe reading area, and so is different fro.ntraditional definitions of intrinsic motivation.

Extrinsic motivation means being motivat-ed to obtain something (like a reward or goodgrade) for doing an activity; thus the motiva-tion is not for the activity itself, but for whatthe activity will bring the individual. In theMRQ, we distinguished different kinds ofextrinsic motivation for reading. Recognitionfor Reading is the gratification in receiving atangible form of recognition for success inreading; and Reading for Grades assesses thedesire to be favorably evaluated by the teacher.These different aspects of extrinsic motivationreflect the fact that children do much of theirreading in school, where their reading perfor-mance is evaluated. Thus, recognition andgrades may figure prominently in their motiva-tions for reading.

NATIONAL READING RESEARCH CENTER, INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE NO. 22

t

Motivations for Reading 3MINWEESINNO!MailIlft,

The final dimensions include social aspectsof reading, because reading often is a socialactivity. One proposed dimension is SocialReasons for Reading, or the process of sharingthe meanings gained from reading with friendsand family. A second is Competition in Read-ing, the desire to outperform others in reading.Third is Compliance, or reading because of anexternal goal or requirement. These dimensionsare based on the work on achievement goals inthe motivation literature (e.g., Ames, 1992;Wentzel, 1989). With the exception of Went-zel's (1989) work in the general motivationliterature, social goals for achievement havenot often been discussed. Such goals seemessential for reading motivation. Finally, a setof items asked students what they do not likeabout reading; we called this set Reading WorkAvoidance.

An initial version of the MRQ containing82 items was developed, with 7 or 8 itemsmeasuring each of the proposed dimensions(with the exception of reading importance,which was measured by an existing 2-itemscale developed by Eccles et al., 1983). Thisscale was given to fourth and fifth graders inan elementary school in the fall and the springof a school year. Various analyses of children'sresponses to the questionnaire were done toevaluate how well the items and scales worked.Based on these analyses (see Wigfield & Guth-rie, 1995), 28 of the original 82 items wereeliminated. The current version of the MRQcontains 54 items, and all the dimensions justdescribed are measured by the remaining items.The items assessing each dimension are listedin Table 1. The full questionnaire and instruc-

tions for its administration and scoring appearwith the questionnaire appear in the Appendix.

Reliability of the MRQ Scales

The internal consistency reliabilities ofthese scales were computed, at both the falland spring times of measurement. These reli-abilities give an indication of the extent towhich the items on each scale cohere; valuesgreater than .70 are preferable. The reliabilitiesare presented in Table 2. As can be seen in thetable, some of the scales showed reasonableinternal consistency, and others did not. Themost reliable scales included Reading Chal-lenge, Reading Curiosity, Aesthetic Enjoymentof Reading, Social Reasons for Reading, Read-ing Competition, and Reading Recognition.The reliabilities of these scales ranged fromadequate to good. The reliabilities for the otherscales were poorer (although some approachedadequacy), suggesting that the items proposedto form these scales in fact did not cohere aswell.

Uses of dila MRQ

The MRQ can be used by teachers andreading specialists of children in grades threeto six to gauge the ways in which children aremotivated to read. It could be administered atthe beginning and the end of a school year, tosee what kinds of changes in reading motiva-tions might have occurred during the year. Itcan be used to generate individual profiles ofstudents' motivation, and also could be used tocompare the motivations of different groups ofchildren (e.g., boys vs. girls).


4 Wigfield, Guthrie, & Mc Gough41211119

Table 1. Scales on The Motivations for Reading Questionnaire

READING EFFICACY

I know that I will do well in reading hext yearI am a good readerI learn more from reading than most students in the classIn comparison to my other school subjects, I am best at reading

READING CHALLENGE

I like hard, challenging booksIf the project is interesting, I can read difficult materialI like it when the questions in books make me thinkI usually learn difficult things by readingIf a book is interesting. I don't care how hard it is to read

READING CURIOSITY

If the teacher discusses something interesting. I might read more about itIf I am reading about an interesting topic, I sometimes lose track of timeI read to learn new information about topics that interest meI read about my hobbies to learn more about themI like to read about new thingsI enjoy reading books about people in different countries

AESTHETIC ENJOYMENT OF READING

I read stories about fantasy and make believeI like mysteriesI make pictures in my mind when I readI feel like I make friends with people in good booksI read a lot of adventure storiesI enjoy a long, involved story or fiction book

IMPORTANCE OF READING

It is very important to me to be a good readerIn comparison to other activities I do, it is very important to me to be a good reader

COMPLIANCE

I do as little schoolwork as possible in reading*I read because I have to*I always do my reading work exactly as the teacher wants it


Motivations for Reading 5

Finishing every reading assignment is very important to meI always try to finish my reading on time

READING RECOGNITION

I like having the teacher say I read wellMy friends sometimes tell me I am a good readerI like to get compliments for my readingI am happy when someone recognizes my readingMy parents often tell me what a good job I am doing in reading

READING FOR GRADES

Grades are a good way to see how well you are doing in readingI look forward to finding out my reading gradeI read to improve my gradesMy parents ask me about my reading grade

SOCIAL REASONS FOR READING

I visit the library aften with my familyI often read to my brother or my sisterMy friends and I like to trade things to readI sometimes read to my parentsI talk to my friends about what I am readingI like to help my friends with their schoolwork in readingI like to tell my family about what I am reading

READING COMPETITION

I try to get more answers right than my friendsI like being the best at readingI like to finish my reading before other studentsI like being the only one who knows an answer in something we readIt is important for me to see my name on a list of good readersI am willing to work hard to read better than my friends

READING WORK AVOIDANCE

I don't like vocabulary questionsComplicated stories are no fun to readI don't like reading something when the words are too difficultI don't like it when there are too many people in the story

* Reverse the direction of these two items when scoring them.


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Wigfield, Guthrie, & Mc Gough

Table 2. Re liabilities for the Reading Motivation Scales

SCALE FALL SPRING

Reading Efficacy 63 68Reading Challenge 68 80Reading Curiosity 70 76Aesthetic Enjoyment of Reading 72 76Importance of Reading 59 52Reading Recognition 69 69Reading for Grades 59 43Social Reasons for Reading 78 72Reading Competition 75 81Compliance 62 55Reading Work Avoidance 44 60

The MRQ can be administered to a class inapproximately 20 to 25 min. When it is givento third- and fourth-grade children, it is recom-mended that the items be read aloud. Fifth- andsixth-grade children can read the items on theirown, although they might need help with someof the words. The questionnaire can be usedwith the Reading Activity Inventory (Guthrie,Mc Gough, & Wigfield, 1994) to see howchildren's motivations for reading relate to thekinds of reading that they do. It also is infor-mative to relate children's motivations forreading to their reading performance andfrequency (see Wigfield & Guthrie, 1995, forresults of an analysis of the relations of readingmotivations to reading frequency). Several ofthe motivation scales relate moderately stronglyto the amount of reading children did.

The current version of the MRQ can pro-vide teachers with valuable information aboutchildren's reading motivations. We are continu-

ing to revise the questionnaire; the revisedversion will appear in a subsequent instruction-al resource.

References

Alexander, J. E., & Filler, R. C. (1976). Attitudesand reading. Newark, DE: International ReadingAssociation.

Ames, C. (1992). Classrooms: Goals, structures,and student motivation. Journal of EducationalPsychology, 84, 261-271.

Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unify-ing theory of behavioral change. PsychologicalReview, 84, 191-215.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsicmotivation and self-determination in humanbehavior. New York: Plenum.

Eccles, J. S., Adler, T. F., Futterman, R.,Goff, S. B., Kaczal, C. M., Meece, J., &Midgley, C. (1983). Expectancies, values, and



academic behaviors. In J. T. Spence (Ed.),Achievement and achievement motives (pp. 75-146). San Francisco: W. H. Freeman.

Guthrie, J., Mc Gough, K., & Wigfield, A. (1994).Measuring Reading Activity: An Inventory (In-structional Resource No. 4). Athens, GA:NRRC, Universities of Georgia and MarylandCollege Park.

Harter, S. (1981). A new self-report scale of intrin-sic versus extrinsic orientation in the classroom:Motivational and informational components.Developmental Psychology, 17, 300-312.

McKenna, M. C., & Kear, D. J. (1990). Measuringattitude toward reading: A new tool for teachers.The Reading Teacher, 43, 626-639.

Oldfather, P., & Wigfield, A., (1996). Children'smotivations for literacy learning. In L. Baker, P.Afflerbach, & D. Reinking (Eds.), Developingengaged readers in school and home communities(pp. 89-113). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence ErlbaumAssociates, Inc.

Wentzel, K. R. (1989). Adolescent classroom goals,standards for performance, and academicachievement: An interactionist perspective.Journal of Educational Psychology, 81 , 131-142.

Wigfield, A. (1994). Expectancy-value theory ofachievement motivation: A developmental per-spective. Educational Psychology Review, 6,49-78.

Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (1992). The develop-ment of achievement task values: A theoreticalanalysis . Developmental Review, 12, 265-310.

Wigfield, A., & Guthrie, J. T. (1995). Dimensionsof children's motivations for reading: An initialstudy (Reading Research Report No. 34). Athens,GA: NRRC, Universities of Georgia and Mary-land College Park.



APPENDIX

MOTIVATIONS FOR READING QUESTIONNAIRE

Administration and Scoring

The Motivations for Reading Questionnaire (MRQ) measures different dimensions or aspectsof elementary school-aged children's reading motivations. It can be used to discover the nature ofchildren's motivations for reading, as well as some of the things about reading childrendo not findmotivating. It consists of 54 items, and can be administered in 20 to 25 minutes. It can be used inconjunction with the Reading Activity Inventory developed by Guthrie et al. (1994).

The MRQ appears following these instructions. It may be photocopied for use in theclassroom.

Administration

Before you distribute the MRQ forms, tell students you are interested in finding out what theythink and feel about reading as an activity. Assure the students that theie are no right or wronganswers to the questions, and that children sitting near them might answer an item differently.Encourage the students to answer the questions honestly. The meaFure is designed to be given toa classroom-size group; it also can be given in smaller groups. Individual administration generallyis not necessary.

For third- and fourth-grade children, it is recommended that the MRQ be read aloud (if allstudents in a fourth-grade class read well, then they could complete the questionnaire on theirown). Fifth- and sixth-grade children can read the questions on their own, but the administratorshould be prepared to answer any questions they have about some of the words contained in thedifferent items.

A cover page can be added to the questionnaire to get demographic and other information, ifthat is desired. The first page of the questionnaire contains three sample questions that are thereto familiarize children with the 1 to 4 answer scales used. The class should complete these sampleitems before answering the items on the questionnaire itself. The administrator should emphasizeto children to use the full range of the 1 to 4 scale.


10 Wigfield, Guthrie, & Mc Gough

Scoring

Each item is scored on a 1 to 4 scale; higher scores mean stronger endorsement of the item.A total score can be derived by summing the scores of all the items (with the exception of theWork Avoidance items; these should NOT be included in a summary score). However, we stronglyrecommend deriving separate scores for each of the proposed dimensions of reading motivations.The scale scores prove much more information than a total score does. Specifically, they provideinformation about 'he pattern of children's responses and how they rate different aspects of theirmotivation for reading. These profiles could be quite useful for teachers and reading specialistsinterested in understanding what things children like about reading and what things they don't likeabout it.

SPECIFIC STEPS FOR SCORLNG THE INSTRUMENT BY HAND

1. Check each questionnaire to be sure that each student completed each item. If some items areleft blank, they of course should not be included in the scoring of the instrument. Each itemthat is completed should be scored from 1 to 4.

2. If a student circled more than one answer for an item and the answers are adjacent (e.g.,circled both 1 or 2; or 3 or 4), take the number closer to the middle. However, if both 1 and4 were circled, that item should not be counted.

3. If a student added numbers to the scale (e.g., the student wrote in numbers less than 1, orgreater than 4), convert them to the scale. Numbers less than 1 can be scored as 1; numbersgreater than 4 can be scored as 4.

3. To create scale scorer, use Table 1 to identify the items in each scale. Add the students'responses to the items in each scale (e.g., in the case of the Efficacy items, add the scores fromthe four items shown in Table 1), and divide by the number of items completed (e.g., in thecase of the efficacy scale, divide by 4, if all the items were completed by the student). Cividingby the number of items on each scale means that all the scale scores also will have a range of1 to 4, which makes them easier to compare.

4. For the Compliance scale, the first two items should be reversed before computing the scalefor Compliance. That is, a score of 1 should be converted to 4, a score of 2 converted to 3,a score of 3 converted to 2, and a score of 4 converted to 1.


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SPECIFIC STEPS FOR SCORING THE INSTRUMENT BY COMPUTER

The scales also can be created using different statistical packages, such as SPSS.

1. Follow steps 1 through 3 above.

2. To create scale scores, use Table 1 to identify the items in each scale. Use your computerprogram to add the appropriate items for each scale, being sure to reverse the first two itemson the Compliance scale.

3. The scale scores can be saved on the computer for later use and analysis.

Interpretation

The scores can be used in several ways. First, individual profiles of the students completingthe questionnaire can be examined. This profile can help give an indication of the kinds of thingsa child is motivated by. For instance, does s/he read primarily for curiosity, or to get good grades?Does s/he like to be challenged by reading assignments? These profiles could be used to tailor thecurriculum to meet better individual student needs, or perhaps to provide special activities fordifferent students. For instance, children who strongly endorse the "challenge" items could begiven some especially involved assignments. Children strongly endorsing the "recognition" itemscould be given the opportunity to receive some recognition for their work. Children stronglyendorsing "social reasons for reading" could be allowed to read more with their peers. Second,the scores also could be grouped, and group differences could be examined, to answer questionslike are the boys more positively motivated than the girls? Or do boys and girls have differentthings that appear to motivate them most in their reading? Third, the measure could be given twiceor three times over a school year, and patterns of change in different children's motivations couldbe assessed.


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The Motivations For Reading Questionnaire

DIRECTIONS:

We are interested in your reading.

The statements tell how some students feel about reading.

Read each statement and decide whether it talks about a person who is like you ordifferent from you.

There are no right or wrong answers. We only want to know how you feel aboutreading.

Here are three examples.

If the statement is very different from you, circle a 1.

If the statement is a little different from you, circle a 2.

If the statement is a little like you, circle a 3.

If the statement is a lot like you, circle a 4.

Very A LittleDifferent Different A Little A LotFrom Me From Me Like Me Like Me

1. I like ice cream. 1 2 3 4

2. I like to swim. 1 2 3 4

3. I like spinach. 1 2 3 4

CIRCLE ONE ANSWER FOR EACHQUESTION, USING THESE ANSWERS:

1. Very different from me2. A little different from me3. A little like me4. A lot like me

1. I visit the library often with my family. 1 2 3 4

2. I like hard, challenging books. 1 2 3 4

3. I know that I will do well in reading next year. 1 2 3 4

4. I do as little schoolwork as possible in reading. 1 2 3 4

5. If the teacher discusses something interesting Imight read more about it.

1 2 3 4

6. I read because I have to. 1 2 3 4

7. I like it when the questions in books make me think. 1 2 3 4

8. I read about my hobbies to learn more about them. 1 2 3 4

9. I am a good reader. 1 2 3 4

10. I read stories about fantasy and make believe. 1 2 3 4

11. I often read to my brother or my sister. 1 2 3 4

12. I like being the only one who knows an answer insomething we read.

1 2 3 4

13. I read to learn new information about topics thatinterest me.

1 2 3 4

14. My friends sometimes tell me I'm a good reader. 1 2 3 4

15. I learn more from reading than most students inmy class.

1 2 3 4

16. I like to read about new things. 1 2 3 4

17. I like hearing the teacher say I read well. 1 2 3 4

18. I like being the best at reading. 1 2 3 4

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19. I look forward to finding out my reading grade. 1 2 3 4

20. I sometimes read to my parents. 1 2 3 4

21. My friends and I like to trade things to read. 1 2 3 4

22. It is important for me to see my name on a listof good readers.

1 2 3 4

23. I don't like reading something when the words aretoo difficult.

1 2 3 4

24. I make pictures in my mind when I read. 1 2 3 4

25. I always do my reading work exactly as theteacher wants it.

1 2 3 4

26. I usually learn difficult things by reading. 1 2 3 4

27. I don't like vocabulary questions. 1 2 3 4

28. Complicated stories are no fun to read. 1 2 3 4

29. I am happy when someone recognizes my reading. 1 2 3 4

30. I feel like I make friends with people in goodbooks.

1 2 3 4

31. My parents often tell me what a good job I'mdoing in reading.

1 2 3 4

32. Finishing every reading assignment is veryimportant to me.

1 2 3 4

33. I like mysteries. 1 2 3 4

34. I talk to my friends about what I am reading. 1 2 3 4

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35. If I am reading about an interesting topic, Isometimes lose track of time.

1 2 3 4

36. I like to get compliments for my reading. 1 2 3 4

37. Grades are a good way to see how I'm doingin reading.

1 2 3 4

38. I like to help my friends with their schoolworkin reading.

1 2 3 4

39. I read to improve my grades. 1 2 3 4

40. My parents ask me about my reading grade. 1 2 3 4

41. I enjoy a long, involved story or fiction book. 1 2 3 4

42. I like to tell my family about what I am reading. 1 2 3 4

43. I try to get more answers right than my friends. 1 2 3 4

44. If the project is interesting, I can read difficultmaterial.

1 2 3 4

45. I enjoy reading books about people living indifferent countries.

1 2 3 4

46. I read a lot of adventure stories. 1 2 3 4

47. I always try to finish my reading on time. 1 2 3 4

48. If a book is interesting, I don't care how hardit is to read.

1 2 3 4

49. I like to finish my reading before other students. 1 2 3 4

50. In comparison to my other school subjects, I ambest at reading.

1 2 3 4

CIRCLE ONE ANSWER FOR EACHQUESTION, USING THESE ArNSWERS:


51. I am willing to work hard to read better than 1 2 3 4my friends.

52. I don't like it when there are too many people 1 2 3 4in the story.

53. It is very important to me to be a good reader.

54. In comparison to other activities I do, it isvery important for me to be good at reading.

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1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4

NRRCNationalReading ResearchCenter318 Aderhokl, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-71253216J. M. Patterson Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742

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Motivation for Reading (MRQ)

Documents

Transcript of Motivation for Reading (MRQ)