The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of various incentives on the reading motivation of fourth-grade students. The students involved in the study attended an elementary school in a mid-size town in the South. Results were based on the participation of 28 students in the control group, 27 students in the treatment group who received books as incentives, and 36 students in the treatment group who received non-reading related rewards as incentives.Each student's level of reading motivation was measured at the beginning and the end of the study using the Reading Survey portion of the Motivation to Read Profile (Gambrell, Palmer, Codling, & Mazzoni, 1996) which was completed by each student and the Parent Survey which was completed by the guardian of each student participating in the study. Sixteen students were selected to participate in the Conversational Interview portion of the Motivation to Read Profile based on reading and motivation levels (Gambrell, et al., 1996). The Conversational Interview occurred at the beginning and end of the study. Six students from the treatment group who received non-reading related rewards as incentives were interviewed, while five students from the control group and the treatment group who received books as incentives were interviewed. The teachers of these two groups did not identify any students for the Unmotivated, Above- Grade Level category. Book logs were also used in the study to measure the students' motivation to read based on the number of books read. For the duration of the nineteen-week study, the students in each treatment group read books and received incentives, while the students in the control group read books and did not receive incentives.The findings of the study were:1. There was no significant difference in reading motivation between students who participated in Accelerated Reader with non-reading related rewards as incentives and students who participated in Accelerated Reader with no incentives.2. There was no significant difference in reading motivation between students who participated in Accelerated Reader with books as incentives and students who participated in Accelerated Reader with no incentives.3. There was no significant difference in reading motivation between students who participated in Accelerated Reader with books as incentives and students who participated in Accelerated Reader with non-reading related rewards as incentives.4. There was no significant difference in reading motivation within the treatment group that participated in Accelerated Reader with non-reading related rewards as incentives.5. There was no significant difference in reading motivation within the treatment group that participated in Accelerated Reader with books as incentives.6. There was no significant difference in reading motivation within the control group.7. Factors that influence children's interest in books include choice,characteristics of books, personal interests, and knowledge gained from the books.8. Sources that expose children to books consist of family, teachers, and the school library.9. Sources of motivation include family, teachers, the children themselves, and peers.10. Actions that motivate children to read include giving children books, reading to children, and sharing books with children. / Department of Elementary Education
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/176018 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Edmunds, Kathryn M. |
| Contributors | Tancock, Susan M. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | xiii, 152 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
| Coverage | n-us-in |
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