Examining Associations Between Reading Motivation and Inference Generation Beyond Reading Comprehension Skill

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between reading motivation and inference generation while reading. Undergraduate participants (N = 69) read two science articles while thinking aloud, completed a standardized reading comprehension assessment, and self reported their habitual reading motivation. Findings indicate that overall reading motivation, one component of intrinsic motivation (reading as a sense of self), and one component of extrinsic motivation (reading to do well in other realms) were positively associated with text-connecting inference generation independent of reading comprehension skill. These findings are discussed in the context of standards of coherence.