Instructional Contexts for Engagement and Achievement in Reading

Abstract

In this chapter, we review research on students’ engagement in reading activities and how classroom instructional practices influence engagement in reading and other academic activities. We define engaged readers as motivated to read, strategic in their approaches to reading, knowledgeable in their construction of meaning from text, and socially interactive while reading. We present a conceptual model of reading engagement linking classroom practices directly and indirectly to students’ motivation to read, behavioral engagement in reading, and reading achievement. A major premise of this model is that behavioral engagement in reading mediates the effects of classroom practices on reading outcomes. We present evidence from a variety of experimental and correlational studies documenting the direct and indirect links among classroom practices, motivation, behavioral engagement, and achievement outcomes. One reading comprehension instructional program on which we focus is Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction. This program integrates strategy instruction and instructional practices to foster students’ reading motivation, and teaches reading, in particular, in content domains such as science and social studies.