Early literacy skill development and motivation in the low-income context of Haiti

Abstract

Research on literacy interventions occasionally focuses on motivation, but such research in low- and mid-income countries is all but nonexistent. Recently, Guzmán, Schuenke-Lucien, D’Agostino, Berends, & Elliot (2021) demonstrated that an intervention, Read to Learn, had a positive influence on literacy skills of first and second grade Haitian students; motivation was assessed, but not examined, in that study. We used the Guzmán, Schuenke-Lucien, D’Agostino, Berends, & Elliot (2021) data set and an integrative conceptual approach to test relations between the intervention, seven theoretically-grounded achievement motivation variables, and two “gold standard” outcomes – reading achievement and intrinsic interest in reading. Results showed that the intervention had a positive influence on mastery-approach goals and importance, and that these variables predicted several indicators of achievement and intrinsic interest; indirect effects of these motivational processes were documented for one indicator of achievement and for intrinsic interest. Findings are discussed with regard to the need for more research on reading motivation in low-income contexts.