Exploring Homeschooling Parents’ Conceptions of Reading Motivation from a Self-Determination Theoretical Perspective

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how homeschooling parents (HPs) conceptualize the role of motivation in early reading development and how these conceptualizations inform how they design and implement their reading instruction. Given the importance of reading motivation for early literacy development, the decline in reading motivation over the early years, the lack of understanding how early literacy instructional practices affect young students’ reading motivation, and the paucity of research regarding home education, the researcher proposed that exploring HPs’ conceptualizations through the use of surveys, interviews, and home observations would allow for the compilation of a rich description of reading motivation supportive practices within the home education environment. The study was underpinned by a Self-Determination Theoretical (SDT) framework as the findings were organized according to HPs’ support for SDT’s constructs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The key findings of the study demonstrate how HPs conceptualized the role of motivation in their child’s literacy development and the varied methods of support for their young learners’ sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Situating these findings within the existing literature base illuminated several motivational strategies employed by HPs: for autonomy support, HPs followed their child’s lead, encouraged topical interests, and made use of technology; for competence support, HPs employed personalized and targeted instruction within a consistent structure, prioritized interest, and protected feelings; and for relatedness support, HPs established a culture of reading through the curation of high-interest literacy materials and spaces, validated struggles, and incorporated celebrations. Overall, the study asserts the importance of examining the multi-faceted and complex nature of early reading motivation and its effects on literacy development.