1. Literacy Challenges, Motivation and
Education: Supporting the Development of
“advanced literacy” in All Young People
Individual Discussion Paper
By: Andrea Lagalisse (2992863)
For: Diana Masny EDU5386
2/5/2015

2. Lagalisse. A. (2992863)LiteracyChallenges, MotivationandEducation…1
Literacy Challenges, Motivation and Education: Supporting the development of “advanced
literacy” in all young people
Murnane, Sawhill, & Snow note that a big predictor of literacy (reading comprehension) is
economic status, with children from higher statues families performing better in advanced
literacy skills. The authors define advanced literacy as "The ability to use reading to gain access
to the world of knowledge, to synthesize information...to evaluate arguments, and to learn totally
new subjects" (2012, p.3). Young people need to learn how to be effective communicators if they
are to “participate constructively in a pluralistic democracy facing complex domestic and global
challenges” (Murnane, Sawhill, & Snow, 2012, p.4). It is important for educators to think about
and adapt the way they teach if they wish to teach to each individual to help them maximize their
potential. Literacy and literacy skills are closely linked to economic status, and therefore if we
wish to increase access and reduce inequalities, it is essential to equip all young people with the
critical skills they need to live productive, meaningful, and satisfying lives.
Murnane, Sawhill & Snow suggest supporting the development of analytical skills and
conceptual knowledge in children from low income families by; 1) Paying more attention to
informational text and analytical writing instruction from Kindergarten to Grade 12, 2)
Increasing and supporting access to better preschool experiences", 3) Improving instruction, and
4) providing more in-school and after-school opportunities for those who are most underserved
(2012, p.14). They also highlight the importance of non-school factors such as families and
communities (p. 10). Letourneau et. al. (2013) also observe how decreased access to resources
may amplify cognitive risk factors for poor language abilities, including reduced decoding,
reading skills, and phonological awareness (p. 218-19). This is why it is important to create

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opportunities for children to learn at their own pace, and to support disadvantaged children at
every opportunity both in and outside school.
Supporting children means supporting them individually, but it also means providing
support, learning and growth opportunities to their parents, grandparents, and caregivers. It
becomes about building community. This is sometimes where change can become difficult, as it
is hard to synthesize different departments, organizations, and even individuals, who may have
different goals or desires.
This is especially evident in the assertion by Martini and Senechal (2012) that parent
teaching of alphabet knowledge and word readings are key indicators in children’s early literacy,
mitigated by parental involvement and expectations (p. 217-18). Major obstacles for parental
involvement include lack of knowledge and lack of time to engage with children in learning
about reading and printing (p. 218). It can be really difficult to motivate community involvement
when there are factors holding some members back and preventing them from engaging fully.
These factors contribute to the unequal learning patterns that lead to the economic and skills
disparities noted by Murnane, Sawhill and Snow where resource availability and support favour
non-Hispanic, white children even though statistics show that the share of Hispanic and black
children will soon outnumber them (2012, p. 5). Using open ended strategies like those
suggested in the paragraph above allows educators and other professionals to be creative in
finding ways to help open up access to all students.
Wigfield, Cambria, and Eccles’ (2012) article examines student motivation in the context
of learning and the classroom. It reviews theory and research on motivation from a variety of
perspectives and offers insight into how motivation arises, is sustained, and declines. It takes a
sociocultural perspective, positing that learning takes place “in the context of relationships with

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teachers and peers” (p. 463), and that students’ participation in different classroom environments
and interactions with others co-create motivation” (2012, p. 474). The sociocultural perspective
is becoming a stronger player in the field of education, and this will hopefully continue to
contribute to an opening of education to consider more than the transition of simple facts and
non-transferable skills that are the trademark of the industrial-era factory style school.
Research shows that children’s’ academic motivation declines throughout elementary
schools and secondary school years. This is attributed to factors such as; receiving more
information about performance and learning to interpret it clearly (which can lead to pessimism
about abilities), greater emphasis on evaluation and performance outcomes, and greater levels of
comparison between peers (Wigfield, Cambria, & Eccles, p. 467). Wigfield, Cambria, and Eccles
suggest strategies for increasing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in students. Some of these
include: offering task-level practices that are developmentally appropriate, tasks that are
differentiated over time to avoid redundancy or disinterest, reducing emphasis on evaluation,
adapting instruction to existing background knowledge, providing opportunities for exploration,
and treating mistakes as a natural part of the learning process (467).
These strategies allow children (and adults) to explore and develop curiosity in a natural
and relevant way, strengthening motivation and interest as well as supporting high-order thinking
skills that are essential to the kind of advanced literacy that Murnane, Sawhill and Snow deem a
“prerequisite” to adult success (2012, p. 3).Those involved in the fields of education and early
childhood should continue to underscore the importance of community in creating capable
individuals who are motivated and making conscious efforts to equip each child in a way that
enables them in spite of disabling factor like socioeconomic status.

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References:
Letourneau, N. L., Duffett-Leger, L., Levac, L., Watson, B., & Young-Morris, C. (2013).
Socioeconomic status and child development: A meta-analysis. Journal of Emotional and
Behavioral Disorders, 21(3), 211-224.
Martini, F., Sénéchal, M. (2012). Learning literacy skills at home: Parent teaching, expectations,
and child interest. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue canadienne des
sciences du comportement, 44(3), 210-221.
Murnane, R., Sawhill, I., & Snow, C. (2012), Literacy challenges for the twenty-first century:
Introducing the issue. The Future of Children, 22(2), 3-15.
Wigfield, A., Cambria, J., & Eccles, J. S. (2012) Motivation in education. In R. M. Ryan (Ed.)
The Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation, pp. 463-478. New York, NY: Oxford
University Press.