Reading Motivation in Multiple Languages: Perspectives From Multilingual Readers

ABSTRACT This narrative study describes and interprets how multilinguals' lived experiences influence their motivation to read in two or more languages. Drawing on in‐depth interviews with two international graduate students at a public Midwestern university, the research examines how personal histories and expectancy values shape motivation with texts across linguistic contexts. Findings from their intrahistorias reveal that reading serves as a means to connect with others and their home countries, question cultural norms, acquire new languages, expand perspectives, and pursue personal and academic aspirations. These insights underscore the role of language ideologies, and sociocultural factors in shaping multilinguals' reading motivation. The study is guided by the question: How do multilingual readers' lived experiences and expectancy‐value beliefs influence their reading motivation in multiple languages?