Motivation for Reading Questionnaire
Also known as: MRQ, Reading Motivation Scale
The Motivation for Reading Questionnaire (MRQ) is a self-report instrument assessing students' motivation to read and engagement with reading activities. Developed by Wigfield and Guthrie (2000), it measures both intrinsic motivation (reading for enjoyment and understanding) and extrinsic motivation (reading for grades or to avoid punishment), along with beliefs about reading efficacy and value. Reading motivation is a primary predictor of reading comprehension, frequency, and lifetime literacy engagement.
Key highlights
- Captures multidimensional motivation: intrinsic, extrinsic, efficacy, and value beliefs together predict reading behavior
- Grounded in expectancy-value theory and motivation research; theoretically sound
- Brief and practical for classroom assessment; suitable for large-scale administration
- Predicts real reading outcomes: motivation scores correlate with reading frequency, comprehension, and long-term literacy
Intuition
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How it works
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When to use it
The MRQ is used in K-12 education to assess reading motivation, identify students at risk for reading disengagement, evaluate reading instruction and intervention effectiveness, track literacy engagement development across grades, and research relationships between motivation and reading comprehension or achievement.
Strengths & limitations
- Captures multidimensional motivation: intrinsic, extrinsic, efficacy, and value beliefs together predict reading behavior
- Grounded in expectancy-value theory and motivation research; theoretically sound
- Brief and practical for classroom assessment; suitable for large-scale administration
- Predicts real reading outcomes: motivation scores correlate with reading frequency, comprehension, and long-term literacy
- Self-report bias: struggling readers may underestimate their reading ability or motivation due to prior failures
- Context-dependent: motivation varies by text genre, topic, and classroom context; a single score may mask this variation
- Reciprocal causality: motivation affects reading engagement and skill development, but skill success also builds motivation
Common pitfalls
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Applications
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Frequently asked
Can you have high reading skill but low reading motivation?
Yes. Some highly skilled readers have low motivation to read; they may read only when required and avoid voluntary reading. These students, while competent, miss the developmental benefits of extensive reading. Conversely, highly motivated but less skilled readers often outpace peers in skill growth due to reading more and persistence in challenging texts.
Is reading motivation the same as reading comprehension ability?
No. Motivation determines whether students read and how actively they engage. Comprehension ability determines what they understand. Both matter; a motivated student with weak comprehension skills can improve through reading practice and strategy instruction. A skilled student lacking motivation may never reach their potential.
How can teachers increase reading motivation?
Research-backed approaches include: providing choice in reading materials; teaching students to set and track reading goals; connecting texts to student interests and identities; fostering a classroom community of readers; using engaging activities (discussion, projects) around texts; and providing autonomy support rather than control-oriented incentives.
Sources
- 1.Wigfield, A., & Guthrie, J. T. (2000). Engagement and motivation in reading. In M. L. Kamil, P. B. Mosenthal, P. D. Pearson, & R. Barr (Eds.), Handbook of Reading Research (Vol. 3, pp. 403-422). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
- 2.Guthrie, J. T., Wiggins, A. P., & Perencevich, K. C. (2000). Scaffolding for engagement in elementary school reading instruction. Journal of Educational Research, 93(5), 310-319.
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Cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 3). Motivation for Reading Questionnaire. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/educational-psychology/reading-motivation-scale