The Missouri Reader Vol. 36, Issue 1 | Page 17

PIZZAS, PARTIES, AND PIGS: THE USE OF EXTRINSIC
REWARDS TO MOTIVATE STUDENTS TO READ
Carolyn L. Carlson, Ph.D.
Introduction
eading requires a combination of ability
and desire. Many students have the ability to
read, but some lack the desire to do so. While
the majority of the research on reading in recent
years has focused on reading comprehension,
research on reading motivation also has increased
significantly. In fact, ―motivation to read has
evolved into one of the most intensely studied of
the factors contributing to overall success or
failure in the elementary school‖ (Applegate &
Applegate, 2010, p.226). This research has
heightened the awareness that students often are
not motivated to read or motivated to learn to
improve their reading skills (Pressley, 2002).
Further, ―being aware of the importance of
motivating students to be active readers is one
thing; finding the right ways to do so is often
quite another‖ (Brozo & Flynt, 2008, p.172).
Many teachers and schools rely heavily on the use
of extrinsic motivators – individual pizzas are
often awarded to students for reading a certain
amount of books, ice cream parties are held to
reward students for reading a certain amount of
minutes, and/or the principal is seen kissing a pig
to reward his or her students for reaching some
kind of reading goal. However, is this the type of
message that should be sent to students? That
reading should be rewarded with food or some
other kind of non-literacy related gimmick? This
article seeks to examine the current research on
reading motivation and explore the use of
extrinsic and intrinsic motivators on reading.

General Trends in Reading
Motivation
The research conducted on reading motivation
has identified several general trends. One trend
among readers is that reading attitudes tend to
worsen over time. Pressley (2002) noted that as
children proceed through elementary school and
enter the middle grades, they usually value school
less and are less interested in what is
studied in school. More specific to reading
motivation, as children get older and more
Dr. Carlson teaches graduate and
undergraduate courses in literacy
at Washburn University in
Topeka, Kansas. Her research
interests include adolescent
literacy, reading motivation, and
writing instruction. She is the
author of several articles on
literacy and has presented at state,
regional, national, and
international conferences on
literacy.
©The Missouri Reader, 36 (1) p. 17