Motivation and home literacy : Spanish speakers and their road to success

There is a limited amount of research on Early-arriving (Ferris), Spanish-speaking Resident Students concerning both literacy activities and motivation levels in high school. Therefore, the aim of this project is to investigate, from a retrospective view, the extent to which the amount of home literacy is reflected in the levels of intrinsic motivation for Early-arriving English Learners who were enrolled in any sheltered English courses during high school. Data for this research study were collected from students enrolled in a northern California university program. From a retrospective view, participants completed surveys on motivation and home literacy, a background information sheet, and one-on-one interviews with the researcher. The results of this research study indicate there is no significant relationship between the retrospective levels of intrinsic motivation and home literacy activities; however, findings provide valuable information about how Early-arriving Spanish-speaking Resident Students may perceive themselves in a sheltered English course, which may influence their intrinsic motivation and home literacy activity.