Self-Efficacy, Self-Concept, and Motivation
in Reading
Janelle Samuel
In a fifth grade classroom, the teacher was preparing her students for the start of book clubs. The goal of classroom book clubs is to engage students in quality literature that they have chosen. She had chosen a handful of quality books and done a short book talk about each novel to introduce the books and help students prioritize their choices. When it was Peter’s turn, he approached the table and selected his first preference. The teacher had sparked his curiosity by telling him about The Westing Game, a murder mystery. He associated it with the board game “Clue” and couldn’t wait to read it. However, as he went to pick the book up, his teacher guided him to choose a different title. She thought maybe he would like to read The Wave instead. She went on to explain that The Westing Game was pretty difficult and maybe he would have an opportunity another time. She preferred certain students to read that particular book.
Peter was disappointed. He wasn’t a brilliant reader, but tested at grade level. He had a habit of needing teacher assurance to finish tasks and was not confident in his abilities. When he was steered away from choosing the book that excited him, he was disappointed. Whether the teacher meant to or not, she relayed to him that he wasn’t smart enough to read this novel. He began to look at the students who were in that group and he could see they were all good students. This experience made him doubt his abilities and gave him a false sense of his true potential.
Peter is my son. I view his story from both a teacher and a mother’s perspective. I realize that his teacher’s intentions were not to discourage him and understand her purpose in steering him in another direction. Yet, if she truly got to know my son and his reading self-concept and attitude, she would have appreciated that fact that he was showing enthusiasm to read and that should have been rewarded. “Though many educators subscribe to the belief that students must read books that are on their grade level, children are often able to read texts that are otherwise too difficult for them if the texts are interesting” (Johnson & Blair, 2003, p. 185).
Not allowing Peter his choice caused him to doubt his ability and discouraged his desire to read. As his mother, I want him to be eager to read and become engaged in literature. Reading is complex and engagement and motivation will affect cognition. So how I did I respond? Without making a big deal out of it, I ordered the book for him. When he came home from school several days later, I gave him the book and told him I would like to read it when he is finished because it sounds like a great book. He was thrilled and I looked forward to having a discussion with him about this murder mystery! I wanted him to enjoy reading. To encourage him to be an avid reader he needs to be interested and have choice in books.
There is a famous quote by Theodore Roosevelt that states, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Peter immediately began to compare himself to his peers and made the association that he must not be smart. When he was later asked about his choice he said, “I wanted to read The Westing Game, but that is for the smart kids.” Teachers need to be cognizant of word choices. We also need to reflect upon the
true objective of our teaching practices. Book clubs are not leveled reading groups. The purpose and objective of book clubs is to motivate students through book choice and develop engaging conversations with peers (Daniels, 2002). Avoid practices that might lead to comparison such as the use of class charts.
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