Motivation and engagement in language and literacy development
In this chapter, I argue that certain facts about early and later first language development, second language learning, and literacy development can only be understood if we acknowledge the role of motivation and engagement. Young children are naturally motivated to engage in the social interactions with adults that give them access to language, and develop language forms to satisfy their needs for attention and, ultimately information. Literacy development is much more likely to be successful among learners who have had positive affective experiences with books as young children, and among adolescents, access to engaging content and opportunities to debate and discuss are prime supports to ongoing literacy learning.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Early and later language development
- 3.Second language learning
- 4.Early literacy development
- 5.Later literacy development
- 6.Conclusion
-
References
References (46)
Aukrust, V. G., & Snow, C. E
(
1998)
Narratives and explanations in Norwegian and American mealtime conversations.
Language in Society, 27, 221–246.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Burns, M. S., Griffin, P., & Snow, C. E
(Eds.) (
1999)
Starting out right: A guide to promoting children’s reading success. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Chouinard, M
(
2007)
Children’s questions. Chicago: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN: 978-1-4051-7633-0
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
De Temple, J., & Snow, C. E
(
2001)
Conversations about literacy: social mediation of psycholinguistic activity. In
L. Verhoeven &
C. E. Snow (Eds.),
Motivation and reading: Cultural and social perspectives (pp. 55–70). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Dixon, L. Q., Zhao, J., Shin, J-Y., Wu, S., Su, J-H., Burgess-Brigham, R., Gezer, M., & Snow, C
(
2012)
What we know about second language acquisition: A synthesis from four perspectives.
Review of Educational Research, 82, 5–60.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Duhaylongsod, L., Snow, C. E., Selman, R., & Donovan, S
2015).
Toward disciplinary literacy: Design principles for curriculum to support both teachers and students in urban middle schools.
Harvard Educational Review, 85, 587–608.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
Eckert, P
(
1989)
Jocks and burnouts: Social identity in the high school. New York: Teachers College Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Gardner, R. C
(
1991)
Attitudes and motivation in second language learning. In
A. G. Reynolds (Ed.),
Bilingualism, multiculturalism, and second language learning: The McGill Conference in Honour of Wallace E. Lambert (pp. 43–64). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Goldfield, B. A., & Snow, C. E
(
1984)
Reading books with children: The mechanics of parental influence on children’s reading achievement. In
J. Flood (Ed.),
Promoting reading comprehension (pp. 204–215). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Goldman, S., & Snow, C. E
(
2015)
Adolescent literacy: Development and instruction. In
A. Pollatsek &
R. Treiman (Eds.),
Handbook on reading (pp 463–478). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Guthrie, J. T., & Wigfield, A
(
2000)
Engagement and motivation in reading. In
M. L. Kamil,
P. B. Mosenthal,
P. D. Pearson, &
R. Barr (Eds.),
Reading research handbook (Vol. III, pp. 403–424). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Hwang, J. K., Lawrence, J., Mo, E., & Snow, C
(
2014)
Differential effects of a systematic vocabulary intervention on adolescent language minority students with varying levels of English proficiency.
International Journal of Bilingualism. First published on
March 5 2014 19(3).
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Jones, S. M., LaRusso, M., Kim, J., Kim, H. Y., Selman, R., Uccelli, P., Barnes, S., Donovan, S., & Snow, C
under review).
Experimental effects of Word Generation on vocabulary, academic language, perspective taking, and reading comprehension in high poverty schools.
Journal of Research in Educational Effectiveness.
La Russo, M., Kim, H.-Y., Selman, R., Uccelli, P., Dawson, T., Jones, S., Donovan, S., & Snow, C
2016).
Contributions of academic language, perspective taking, and complex reasoning to deep reading comprehension.
Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 9, 201–222.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
Lawrence, J., Capotosto, L., Branum-Martin, L., White, C., & Snow, C
(
2012)
Language proficiency, home-language status, and English vocabulary development: A longitudinal follow-up of the Word Generation program.
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 15, 437–451.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Lawrence, J., Crosson, A., Paré-Blagoev, J., & Snow, C
(
2015)
Word Generation randomized trial: Discussion mediates the impact of program treatment on academic word learning.
American Educational Research Journal, 1–37.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Mancilla-Martinez, J., Kieffer, M. J., Christodoulou, J. A., Biancarosa, G., & Snow, C
(
2011)
Investigating English reading comprehension growth in adolescent language minority learners: Some insights from the Simple View.
Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 24, 339–354.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Mancilla-Martinez, J., & Lesaux, N. K
(
2011)
The gap between Spanish-Speakers’ word reading and word knowledge: A longitudinal study.
Child Development, 82, 1544–1560.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Ninio, A., & Snow, C. E
(
1988)
Language acquisition through language use: The functional sources of children’s early utterances. In
Y. Levi,
I. Schlesinger, &
M. Braine (Eds.),
Categories and processes in language acquisition (pp. 11–30). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Ninio, A., & Snow, C. E
(
1996)
Pragmatic development. Boulder: Westview Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Pan, B. A., Imbens-Bailey, A., Winner, K., & Snow, C. E
(
1996)
Communicative intents of parents interacting with their young children.
Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 42, 248–266.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C. E
(
1977)
Development of conversation between mothers and babies.
Journal of Child Language, 4, 1‑22.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C. E
(
1978)
The conversational context of language acquisition. In
R. Campbell &
P. Smith (Eds.),
Recent advances in the psychology of language, Vol. 2: Social and interactional factors. New York: Plenum.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C. E
(
1979a)
The role of social interaction in language acquisition. In
A. Collins (Ed.),
Children’s language and communication: Proceedings of the 1977 Minnesota Symposium on Child Development. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C. E
(
1979b)
Conversations with children. In
P. Fletcher &
M. Garman (Eds.),
Language acquisition, (Revised ed 1985(b), pp. 363–375). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C. E
(
1983)
Literacy and language: Relationships during the preschool years.
Harvard Educational Review, 53, 165‑189.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C. E
(
1991)
Building memories: The ontogeny of autobiography. In
D. Cicchetti &
M. Beeghly (Eds.),
The self in transition: Infancy to childhood (pp. 213–242). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C. E., & Biancarosa, G
(
2004)
Reading next: A vision for action and research in middle and high school literacy: A report from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Alliance for Excellent Education.
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C. E., Burns, S., & Griffin, P
(Eds.) (
1998)
Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C. E., & Goldfield, B
(
1983)
Turn the page please: Situation‑specific language learning.
Journal of Child Language, 10, 551‑570.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C. E., & Hoefnagel‑Höhle, M
(
1977)
Age differences in the pronunciation of foreign sounds.
Language & Speech, 20, 357‑365.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C. E., & Hoefnagel‑Höhle, M
(
1978)
Critical period for language acquisition: Evidence from second language learning.
Child Development, 49, 1263–1279.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C., Lawrence, J., & White, C
(
2009)
Generating knowledge of academic language among urban middle school students.
Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2, 325–344.
[URL] doi:
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C. E., & Moje, E. M
(
2010)
What is adolescent literacy? Why is everyone talking about it now? Phi Delta Kappan, 91(6), 66–69.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C. E., Nathan, D., & Perlmann, R
(
1985)
Assessing children’s knowledge about book‑reading. In
L. Galda &
A. Pellegrini (Eds.),
Play, language and stories: The development of children’s literate behavior (pp. 167–181). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C. E., & Ninio, A
(
1986)
The contracts of literacy: What children learn from learning to read books. In
W. Teale &
E. Sulzby (Eds.),
Emergent literacy: Writing and reading (pp. 116–137). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C. E., Pan, B., Imbens-Bailey, A., & Herman, J
(
1996)
Learning how to say what one means: A longitudinal study of children’s speech act use.
Social Development, 5, 56–84.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Snow, C., & Uccelli, P
(
2008)
The challenge of academic language. In
D. Olson &
N. Torrance (Eds.),
The Cambridge Handbook of Literacy (pp. 112–133). New York: Cambridge University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Sweet, A., & Snow, C. E
(Eds.) (
2003)
Rethinking reading comprehension. New York: The Guilford Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Tomasello, M
(
2008)
Origins of human communication. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-20177-3.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Uccelli, P., Phillips Galloway, E., Barr, C., Meneses, A., & Dobbs, C
(
2015)
Beyond vocabulary: Exploring cross-disciplinary academic language proficiency and its association with reading comprehension.
Reading Research Quarterly, 50(3), 337–356.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Uccelli, P., Barr, C. D., Dobbs, C. L., Phillips Galloway, E., Meneses, A., & Sánchez, E
(
2014)
Core academic language skills (CALS): An expanded operational construct and a novel instrument to chart school-relevant language proficiency in pre-adolescent and adolescent learners.
Applied Psycholinguistics, 36, 1077–1109.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Verhoeven, L
(
1990)
Acquisition of reading in a second language.
Reading Research Quarterly, 25, 90–114.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Verhoeven, L
(
2010)
Second language reading acquisition. In
M. L. Kamil,
P. D. Pearson,
E. B. Moje, &
P. Afflerbach (Eds.),
Handbook of reading research (pp. 661–683). New York: Taylor & Francis.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Verhoeven, L., & van Leeuwe, J
(
2012)
The simple view of second language reading throughout the primary grades.
Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 25, 1805–1818.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Verhoeven, L., & Snow, C. E
(Eds.) (
2001)
Motivation and reading: Cultural and social perspectives. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Cited by (2)
Cited by 2 other publications
Syal, Samira, Marcia Davis, Xiaodong Zhang, Jason Schoeneberger, Samantha Spinney, Douglas J. Mac Iver & Martha Mac Iver
2024.
A Person-Centered Approach to Understanding Adolescents’ Reading Motivation and Its Relation to Reading Outcomes.
Reading Psychology 45:1
► pp. 31 ff.
![DOI logo](//benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
Toste, Jessica R., Lisa Didion, Peng Peng, Marissa J. Filderman & Amanda M. McClelland
2020.
A Meta-Analytic Review of the Relations Between Motivation and Reading Achievement for K–12 Students.
Review of Educational Research 90:3
► pp. 420 ff.
![DOI logo](//benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 26 june 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.