Reading Incentives that Work: No-Cost Strategies to Motivate Kids to Read and Love It!

Fuente: ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
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Main Author: Small, Ruth V.
Format: Recurso educativo Open Access
Language:en
Published: 2009
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author Small, Ruth V.
author_facet Small, Ruth V.
Small, Ruth V.
collection Education Resources Information Center
contents Reading Incentives that Work: No-Cost Strategies to Motivate Kids to Read and Love It! Small, Ruth V. Incentives Reading Motivation Rewards Reading Strategies Reading Improvement Reading Research Recognition (Achievement) Barriers Performance Factors Program Effectiveness Program Evaluation In education, it is possible to find dozens of examples of "forced" reading incentive programs that categorize student reading levels, provide limited reading lists coordinated with those reading levels, assess student reading through computer-based tests, and award tangible prizes when they pass the test. Those who perform best get the most rewards while those who perform less well get fewer (or no) rewards. The problems with such reading incentive programs is that they require students to select books from a pre-established list only, test them on facts presented in the books, and award points to those who pass the test, allowing students to cash in the points for tangible prizes. If students were industrial workers trying to increase the number of widgets being produced, this might be appropriate behavior modification. But, students are learners who, it is hoped, will develop a sustained love of reading. Reading is not a simple mechanical skill to be repeated. Instead, it is a personal act that should result in aesthetic pleasure, a gain of knowledge, or both. This article reviews some of the research on the use of extrinsic rewards in schools, includes some real-life examples, addresses five characteristics of reading incentive programs, and shares some effective, tried-and-true, no-cost alternative strategies that can be used to motivate long-term student reading behaviors. ["Reading Incentives that Work: No-Cost Strategies to Motivate Kids to Read and Love It!" was written with Elizabeth Angelastro, Susanne Bang, Sharon Bainbridge, Colleen Brindamour, Joanne Clarke, Christine Cordova, Brooke Dittmar, Elizabeth Hubbard, Deborah McHugh, Teena Lauth, Kimberly Lee, Kathleen Mauldin, Brianna Pannell, Natalie Panshin, Marie Sarro, Megan Stasak, Jennifer Sullivan, and April Yannarelli.]
format Recurso educativo Open Access
id eric_EJ837444
institution ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
language en
publishDate 2009
record_format eric
spellingShingle Reading Incentives that Work: No-Cost Strategies to Motivate Kids to Read and Love It!
Small, Ruth V.
Incentives
Reading Motivation
Rewards
Reading Strategies
Reading Improvement
Reading Research
Recognition (Achievement)
Barriers
Performance Factors
Program Effectiveness
Program Evaluation
Reading Incentives that Work: No-Cost Strategies to Motivate Kids to Read and Love It! Small, Ruth V. Incentives Reading Motivation Rewards Reading Strategies Reading Improvement Reading Research Recognition (Achievement) Barriers Performance Factors Program Effectiveness Program Evaluation In education, it is possible to find dozens of examples of "forced" reading incentive programs that categorize student reading levels, provide limited reading lists coordinated with those reading levels, assess student reading through computer-based tests, and award tangible prizes when they pass the test. Those who perform best get the most rewards while those who perform less well get fewer (or no) rewards. The problems with such reading incentive programs is that they require students to select books from a pre-established list only, test them on facts presented in the books, and award points to those who pass the test, allowing students to cash in the points for tangible prizes. If students were industrial workers trying to increase the number of widgets being produced, this might be appropriate behavior modification. But, students are learners who, it is hoped, will develop a sustained love of reading. Reading is not a simple mechanical skill to be repeated. Instead, it is a personal act that should result in aesthetic pleasure, a gain of knowledge, or both. This article reviews some of the research on the use of extrinsic rewards in schools, includes some real-life examples, addresses five characteristics of reading incentive programs, and shares some effective, tried-and-true, no-cost alternative strategies that can be used to motivate long-term student reading behaviors. ["Reading Incentives that Work: No-Cost Strategies to Motivate Kids to Read and Love It!" was written with Elizabeth Angelastro, Susanne Bang, Sharon Bainbridge, Colleen Brindamour, Joanne Clarke, Christine Cordova, Brooke Dittmar, Elizabeth Hubbard, Deborah McHugh, Teena Lauth, Kimberly Lee, Kathleen Mauldin, Brianna Pannell, Natalie Panshin, Marie Sarro, Megan Stasak, Jennifer Sullivan, and April Yannarelli.]
title Reading Incentives that Work: No-Cost Strategies to Motivate Kids to Read and Love It!
topic Incentives
Reading Motivation
Rewards
Reading Strategies
Reading Improvement
Reading Research
Recognition (Achievement)
Barriers
Performance Factors
Program Effectiveness
Program Evaluation
url https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ837444