2022 Utah Rural Schools Conference

If you’ve spent any time in a secondary classroom, you know that motivation and engagement really matters, especially when it comes to reading, but finding that sweet spot with all of your students can be challenging. Research shows that reading and reading achievement among secondary students is connected closely to motivation (Guthrie, 2008). However, many students’ motivation to read often begins to decline in their elementary school years—particularly for those who struggled learning to read (McKenna, Kear, & Ellsworth, 1995). Although you may value principles of motivation, it is important to recognize that motivation doesn't just organically result from meaningful instruction. Rather, we need to intentionally embed principles of motivation into our pedagogical approaches. This session will ask you to examine practices that may lead to decreased student motivation and provide ways to engage students in meaningful reading experiences.