ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors focus on motivation as it applies to the two key dimensions of literacy: reading and writing. They note that reading motivation is a construct that has been approached empirically much more assiduously than that of writing motivation, and as such theories of motivation have been less often applied to writing than to reading instruction and its development. Nevertheless, given the importance that motivation has for both literacy processes, the authors review theories of motivation and their implications for both reading and writing development and instruction. They draw from four major theories of motivation: self-determination theory, social cognitive theory; expectancy-value theory and achievement goal theory. Within each theory, the authors focus evenly on implications for reading and writing development and instruction—emphasizing the empirical work for each construct. They conceptualize reading engagement as a multidimensional construct and draw from the model of reading engagement to elaborate on its implications for reading instruction.
