Promoting Reading Motivation by Reading Together

Abstract

In the present project we tested the hypothesis that tutorial situations with peers would benefit children's reading motivation. Participants were from elementary school—80 fourth-graders and 80 second-graders. We used a questionnaire to assess reading motivation. In the tutorial sessions we developed a Paired Reading Program. The children who were to be tutored (second grade) were each paired with a helper from the fourth grade. There were statistically significant results favoring the children who participated in the reading program. They show significant increments in the levels in the different domains of reading motivation, for tutors and tutees.