Effects of SQ3R-Based Chinese Reading Instruction on Grade 7 Students’ Multidimensional Reading Motivation: A Quasi-Experimental Study

HRMARS - This quasi-experimental study examined whether SQ3R-based Chinese reading instruction enhanced Grade 7 students’ multidimensional reading motivation and whether its effects were sustained over time. Eighty Grade 7 students from two public junior secondary schools in Shanxi Province, China, participated in a pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test design, with two intact classes assigned to experimental and control conditions. Reading motivation was measured using Lau’s (2004) Chinese Reading Motivation Questionnaire, covering self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and social motivation. Data were analyzed using one-way MANOVA, follow-up ANOVA, ANCOVA with pre-test scores as covariates, and mixed-design repeated-measures MANOVA. Results showed no significant between-group differences at pre-test. At post-test, the experimental group demonstrated a significantly stronger multivariate motivational profile, with significant advantages in self-efficacy, extrinsic motivation, and social motivation. At delayed post-test, significant group differences remained in intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and social motivation, but not self-efficacy. The study contributes to SQ3R research by extending its focus beyond reading comprehension to multidimensional reading motivation in junior secondary Chinese reading instruction. Practically, the findings imply that SQ3R can be used as a structured, low-cost, and classroom-feasible approach to support adolescents’ motivational engagement with reading, although its influence on intrinsic motivation should be interpreted cautiously.