This study examined the effects of a school/home-based intervention program designed to enhance the reading motivation of Swiss fourth graders (N = 713). In order to identify the specific contribution of the home environment, the program was implemented in one group without (S group = school-based, N = 244) and in one group with (SH group = school/homebased, N = 225) parental participation. The intervention, which was based on the principles of Self-Determination Theory (SDT, Deci & Ryan, 2002), lasted one school year, with a followup assessment 5 months later. Effects of the treatment were investigated in a pretest-posttest control group design. Multilevel analyses showed that the school/home-based intervention had significant effects on reading motivation, and that these effects were still detectable at 5-month follow-up. The effects at follow-up differed significantly from those of the schoolonly intervention. The findings highlight the important role of the family in the sustained promotion of reading motivation.

No abstract

No abstract

Immigrant students usually report high levels of academic interest and motivation compared to their native peers. Given the important role that parents play in fostering their children's academic motivation, this article focuses on aspects of parental involvement and analyzes possible mediator effects on the students' reading motivation and achievement using structural equation modeling. The analyses were conducted with data from N = 891 Swiss fourth-graders and their families. Immigrant students received less emotional support from their parents, although the latter had significantly higher expectations for their child's reading achievement. Furthermore, the three aspects of parental involvement investigated had a significant impact on the development of reading motivation. In mediation analyses, just one of the 12 effects tested appeared to be a mediation effect. Further research is needed to explain differences in motivation between immigrant and native students.

No abstract