Examining the effect of motivational intervention on reading expectancies for success and task values of rural high school students : a quantitative study.

As a result of digital displacement, adolescent recreational reading is declining (Twenge et al., 2019). According to a recent Pew survey, 96% of teen respondents reported daily online engagement, and close to 50% described that engagement as almost constant (Faverio & Sidoti, 2024). Meanwhile, survey data also indicates that fewer than 25% of teens read for pleasure on a regular basis, much less daily (Institute of Education Sciences, n.d.; National Literacy Trust, 2024). The simultaneous rise in teenage digital consumption and pleasure reading rejection has negative implications for a range of outcomes. Reading habits impact cognitive development (Li et al., 2023; Sun et al., 2023), social-emotional growth (Jiménez-Pérez et al., 2023; van der Kleij et al., 2022), academic achievement (Institute of Education Sciences, n.d.; National Literacy Trust, 2024; OECD, 2023), and social mobility (Reardon et al., 2012; Sullivan & Brown, 2013). This quantitative study examined changes in recreational reading motivation among honors-level English I students at a rural Central Texas public high school after an expectancy-value intervention. I used the Adolescent Motivation to Read Profile (AMRP) survey to obtain pre- and post-test measures of participants’ recreational reading expectancies for success and task values. The outcomes of dependent samples t-tests comparing pre- and post-test values on the AMRP scale and subscales were not statistically significant and showed small or minimal effect sizes. Therefore, there was not a statistically significant difference in 9th grade, honors-level English students’ expectancy-value motivations for recreational reading. The results of this study, in conjunction with reading motivation research in general, hold implications for secondary English language arts and reading teachers, as well as parents of adolescents. First, there is a need for refined teaching practices around independent reading. These refinements include explicit reading expectations combined with increased choice support. Second, there is a need for increased parental involvement in building adolescent recreational reading habits.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Nouri, Ashlee Land, 1978-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Jones Davis, Brenda K., 1971-

• Adolescent aliteracy.
• Reading motivation.
• Pleasure reading.
• Recreational reading.
• Voluntary reading.
• Independent reading.
• Free reading.
• Motivational intervention.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/13959

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/13959