IDENTIFYING INCENTIVES TO MOTIVATE MIDDLE SCHOOL READERS
Students need to do more independent reading other than what is required in the
classroom to continue to further develop their reading skills. Often researchers seek for answers
as to how they should motivate the unmotivated student. The purpose of this investigation was to
answer the following research question: What incentives can middle school teachers use to
motivate their middle school students to read more for pleasure? A total of 63 students were
surveyed to gain a better understanding as to what incentives could be used to encourage them to
read more on their own.
The majority of students viewed themselves as good readers, said they read two or more
books outside of school per month, and said they read more than 15 minutes per day. When
asked about materials for pleasure reading, the majority of students preferred books as a choice
of reading material, and prefer fiction. The type of media does not appear to provide an incentive
for reading. Regarding what students prefer doing in their free time, most indicated hanging out
with their friends was their first choice. The incentives preferred by students include those of a
social nature: pizza party, watching a movie during school, getting a free pass to a school dance,
getting a gift certificate to the mall or movies. However, one incentive was not based on social
issues: getting a free homework pass.