Motivation+to+Read

There are a growing number of students who have difficulty reading or choose not to read. Student success depends on motivation, so how can we inspire them to pick up a book that they might enjoy?
 * Introduction ||= Reading Decline ||= Contributing Factors ||= Motivation to Read ||= Value of Graphic Novels ||= Studies ||= Conclusion ||= Resources ||= References ||
 * How to motivate?**

One of the recurring themes in the literature on motivation to read is that students need a wide variety of interesting reading materials available to them, including magazines and graphic novels, (Crawford, 2004; Pitcher et al., 2007; Bokhorst-Heng & Pereira, 2008). Students will have much more chance of experiencing reading successes if we provide access to materials with which students are eager to engage (Worthy, 1999). As Beers (2007, p.246) points out, engagement is the most important factor in motivating adolescents to learn and learning does happen "when the brain makes connections among engaging experiences" (p. 249). A wide range of interesting materials enhances the possibility of enticing students to read.

Another wide-spread theme is the need for free choice of reading materials to motivate students and to increase their reading ability (Bokhorst-Heng & Pereira, 2008; Krashen, 2004). When offered the choice of reading whatever they wanted, middle school students chose scary books, such as those by Stephen King or the Goosebumps series by R. L. Stine, first and comics second (Worthy, 1999). Crawford (2004) also found that adolescents preferred comics and graphic novels, series fiction and periodicals, and Bucher (2004) points out that comics are the constantly increasing in popularity with adolescents and young adults. With this in mind, we need to start from where student interests lie and Fisher (2008) recommends engaging students with these non-traditional texts and to make use of manga, graphic novels, anime, comics and the Internet. If we can engage students in text that interests them, then we can improve their motivation and skills.

Another way to motivate students to read is to provide a method for students to discuss their reading, without forcing them or making them feel uncomfortable or vulnerable. Some schools successfully run after-school literature circles and book clubs in middle and high school. Online blogs and wikis and other Web 2.0 tools are also excellent ways for students to express themselves in writing about what they're reading. Since reading and writing are interconnected activities (Salinger, 2003) this can lead to improvements in both areas.