ABSTRACT
How should we conceptualize motivation in the area of reading? Can such a conceptualization help us explain why some children choose to read frequently and others choose not to read at all? What kinds of parent-child interactions around reading foster a child’s motivation to read? How does knowledge-seeking through expository texts enhance readers’ motivation? What design principles for classroom instructional practices lead to children’s engagement in reading? What is the role of assessment in the learning of literacy skills and in children’s motivation to read? These are the major questions addressed by the authors of the articles in this special issue of Educational Psychologist devoted to motivation for reading. The questions have to do with motivation because they are concerned with reasons why children engage or do not engage in an activity, in this case, reading.
