Reading Motivation

Paper Summary:

The paper examines how a wide range of theories have been advanced to help foster reading motivation among young learners, with some methods being more effective than others. The paper looks at how process drama has been shown to be effective in fostering reading motivation among young learners. Additionally, the paper provides an overview of Readers Theatre and process drama and how teachers can use these techniques to foster reading motivation among young learners today. A critical review of the relevant literature is used to identify effective techniques that can be used to specifically implement process drama in the elementary and middle school classroom. These techniques help make reading more enjoyable to children and adolescents, improve their reading skills and help them see the value of reading in their lives.

Outline:
i)Introduction
ii)Review and Discussion:
Background and Overview
What Process Drama/Readers Theater is and How It is Implemented
How Readers Theatre/Process Drama Can Foster Reading Motivation
Future Areas for Research
iii)Conclusion
iv)References

From the Paper:

"While the Readers Theatre approach has enjoyed wide support with proven results in a wide range of settings, these authors suggest that there is a very real downside to its use over the long-term: "Students need to understand that the goal of all reading is constructing meaning, and it is important that instructional activities have a clear purpose that matches students' needs and interests. Repeated reading, while clearly effective in the short term, may not hold students' attention over long periods" (Worthy & Prater, 2002, p. 295). Moreover, while fluency is widely considered to be an essential aspect of reading, Worthy and Prater (2002) point out that, "Children's ability to read fluently does more than make them sound like good readers; it is evidence that they comprehend what they are reading."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Carrick, L. U. (2001). Readers Theatre resources-Online and offline. The Reading Teacher, 54(5), 514.
• Clyde, J. A. (2003). Stepping inside the story world: The subtext strategy - A tool for connecting and comprehending. The Reading Teacher, 57(2), 150-60.
• Crumpler, T., & Schneider, J. J. (2002). Writing with their whole being: a cross study analysis of children's writing from five classrooms using process drama. Research in Drama Education, 7(1), 61-80.
• Davis, A. D. (1999). A study of the effects of Readers Theater on second and third grade special education students' fluency growth. 105-13.
• Dunn, J. (1999). Viewpoints: Taking a larger slice of the pie - a response to the article 'Bears don't need phonics.' Research in Drama Education, 4(2), 247-50.

More papers on Reading Motivation:

• Research Paper # 46084 : "Reading Motivation among Children"
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• Essay # 19758 : "Reading Motivation"

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