ABSTRACT
Adults read texts to learn new information, to solve problems, to relax, to do their jobs, and to have fun. So do children. Adults read a variety of genres including fiction, nonfiction, directions, lists, humor, music, poetry, and news reports. So do children. Adults read text in books, maps, product descriptions, captions, TV video displays, and media reports; they often read for a minute or less and occasionally for hours. So do children. In many ways, children’s motivation to read is not different from the reading goals, purposes, and activities of adults. These similarities allow us to understand children’s motivation to read with reference to many research studies on motivation of adolescents and adults. The differences, though, are important. This chapter identifies some of the special motivational obstacles that confront children in their daily reading activities.
