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OCR for page 23
Motivation
iteracy development is a complex skill that can require thousands of
L
hours of practice to reach the levels needed for full opportunity in
modern life, yet many adults do not persist long enough to achieve the
literacy skills needed in today’s world. The most significant challenge
in designing literacy development opportunities for adults is motivating
them to participate and persevere.
Because of competing demands in most adults’ lives, convenient instructional times
and places may be critical to supporting persistence. Increased access to child care and
transportation and other social services, such as counseling, may help learners stay in
programs and persist in practice. At the same time, because time for instruction com-
petes with time available for work, financial support and incentives may be necessary
even for highly motivated learners. Technologies can support classroom instruction and
can allow instruction and practice to be free from a particular time or place, making it
easier for adults to fit literacy study into their schedules.
There are known instructional approaches that enhance motivation. For example,
although the goal of instruction is to stretch learners’ skills in order to develop the
specific literacy competencies they need—for education, work, community engagement,
etc.—instruction that begins by connecting to the knowledge that students already have
and value can be motivating and thus may support persistent reading and writing prac-
tice. Opportunities to collaborate during reading also can increase motivation to read,
although more needs to be known about how to structure collaborations effectively.
Research shows that instruction that fosters motivation and engagement:
• develops self-efficacy and perceptions of competency;
• helps learners set appropriate and valuable learning goals;
• sets expectations about the amount of effort and practice required to develop literacy
skills;
OCR for page 24
Developing Reading and Writing
22
• helps learners develop feelings of control and autonomy;
• fosters interest and develops beliefs about the value of literacy tasks;
• helps learners monitor their progress and regulate their behavior toward attaining
their goals;
• teaches students to attribute successes and failures to their own effort rather than un-
changeable aptitudes;
• provides learners with opportunities for success while providing optimal challenges to
develop proficiencies;
• fosters social relationships and interactions known to affect learning;
• uses classroom structures and selects texts that can counter any past negative experi-
ences with schooling;
• removes barriers to participation and practice so that learners have the motivating expe-
rience of making progress; and
• gives learners access to knowledgeable and skilled teachers and appropriately designed
materials.
Because the motivation to engage in extensive practice is so important for developing
literacy, a separate companion booklet, Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Supporting
Learning and Motivation, explores this topic in greater depth.
Priorities for Research on Motivation and Persistence
instruction is needed in several areas to:
