Providing Proximal Rewards: Rethinking Reading Rewards and Motivation.

Research shows a general declining trend in reading motivation as students progress through their schooling experience. This qualitative study examines how adjusting practices of rewarding reading can improve reading motivation among students. Teachers are trained in the principles of motivation and introduced to the proximal reward theory (Gambrell, 1996). They are then challenged to come up with ideas for proximal rewards and implement them appropriately for their classrooms, replacing prior incentives of food and prizes. Qualitative data are collected through classroom observations, interviews, and teacher journaling. Outcomes showed teachers' ability to plan and implement appropriate approximal rewards increased as did the teachers' confidence in their effectiveness, while students also increased in motivation for reading tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]