Teacher Reading Motivation: Factors and Latent Profiles

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study investigated reading motivation among teachers in PK–12 schools. Teachers (N = 1,052) from across the U.S. completed the Adult Reading Motivation Scale. Researchers used exploratory structural equation modeling and found five factors, namely Importance of Reading (IR), Reading for Recognition (RR), Reading for Occupational Effectiveness (RO), Reading Challenge (RC), and Reading Self-Efficacy (RSE). Further latent profile analysis yielded five profiles of teachers’ reading motivation: (a) the group labeled AVG (n = 528) had close to average scores on all five factors; (b) the latent profile labeled AA-Low RR (n = 302) had overall above-average factor scores except for RR; (c) an AA-High RR (n = 77) group with overall above-average scores and the highest mean RR scores; (d) a BA-Low RSE group (n = 79) with overall below-average factor scores and the lowest mean RSE scores; and (e) a BA-Low IR group (n = 61), the smallest group, with below-average factor scores on all indicators and the lowest mean IR scores. Ethnicity, educational attainment, years of experience, grade level, and subject area differed significantly across profiles. Findings are interpreted through the lenses of self-determination theory. Implications for teacher education and PK–12 professional learning are discussed.