The reading habits of children with high reading motivation and their parents' contribution
Submitted by:
Konstantina Zachariadi
Abstract:
Research demonstrates that reading enhances children’s development and fosters impactful educational experiences. However, studies conducted over the past several years in Greece and in the European Union demonstrated that compared with other countries, children in Greece performed poorly on reading assessments. According to the literature, the more children's intrinsic motivation is enhanced at an early age, the more likely they are to continue reading books as they grow older. Parents can play a crucial role in shaping children’s intrinsic reading motivation. Thus, these findings necessitate a study of the factors within the home context that influence children’s intrinsic reading motivation to facilitate the design of an intervention aimed at enhancing this motivation. The primary aim of this study was to identify the common reading habits of children with high motivation for reading. The secondary aim of this study was to highlight the habits and beliefs of parents that contribute to the development of these reading motives.
The survey was conducted in the spring of 2022 in the prefecture of Achaia. Initially, kindergarten teachers assessed students who showed high interest in reading activities. Then, through semi-structured interviews with the children, those with high motivation for reading were highlighted and their common characteristics were recorded. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the children’s parents to identify the home reading experiences that positively influenced the children's attitudes towards reading. The final sample consisted of 10 five-year-old students and their parents, respectively. The analysis of the qualitative data was based on the technique of thematic analysis, in order to create an analytical and systematic record of the codings and themes that emerged from the participants' interviews.
Regarding the students with enhanced reading motivation, most of them enjoyed reading books because it allowed them to experience pleasant emotions. After reading a book, the children often either re-enacted the story and/or discussed it with their family. In addition, these children enjoyed going to bookstores and choosing books on their own. Finally, they stated that someone who does not read books misses out on knowledge, joy, and beautiful emotions. Regarding the parents' habits that fueled the children’s intrinsic motivation to read, it appeared that they themselves were frequent readers. In fact, at home, they chose to have two bookcases, one in a common area and the other in the child's room. In addition, it was common that all the parents read very often with their child, especially in the evening while holding their child in their arms. Finally, while reading, the parents often stopped and talked with their child about the book.
In conclusion, it is important to highlight the factors that influence children's motivation for reading. By evaluating common characteristics of children with high intrinsic motivation for reading, as well as the common reading characteristics of their parents, this research provided important information regarding the factors that influence children’s reading motivation within the home context. Future studies could expand on these findings by investigating the role of school in enhancing children's intrinsic reading motivation.