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17 - Attitudes, Motivations, and Enjoyment of Reading in Multiple Languages

from Part Four - Language(s) and Literacy of Multilingual Children through Schooling

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2022

By
Sara A. Smith  and
Victoria A. Murphy
Edited by
Anat Stavans  and
Ulrike Jessner
Anat Stavans
Affiliation:
Beit Berl College, Israel
Ulrike Jessner
Affiliation:
Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck, Austria
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Summary

Psychosocial factors strongly influence language learning and reading achievement for children. Evidence indicates a strong positive relationship between attitudes toward reading in the first (L1) and second or third languages (L2/L3) and subsequent reading achievement among multilinguals. Many studies of children learning to read demonstrate direct positive relationships between intrinsic motivation and reading achievement. Other studies have found that extrinsic motivation is the motivational facet that most predicts achievement. Researchers have begun to consider how the relationship between reading attitudes in one language might affect reading motivation and outcomes for another language. In this chapter we examine relevant theoretical frameworks of motivation and psychosocial factors that influence language learning and reading. Next, we present state-of-the-field findings regarding psychosocial factors related to reading achievement among multilingual children. We discuss how to reconcile contradictory findings and consider which features of language and context may be salient for predicting relationships. Finally, we make recommendations for future research and consider pedagogical implications.

Keywords

Multilingualismchild(hood)languageliteracydevelopmentreading motivationpsychosocial
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Childhood Multilingualism , pp. 393 - 414
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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