Motivating writers

Language skills teachers often complain about students’ low - or lack of - motivation for school writing. Starting from the upper grades of primary school, many students express high concern but low enthusiasm for writing compositions, and, although not daring to express their opinion to teachers, they seem to view writing as an incumbent but scarcely interesting and useful discipline. The diffusion of digital technology, through which messages can be easily and quickly composed and sent, certainly contributes to lessen interest and strengthen the perception of scarce usefulness. This chapter has two objectives. The first is to analyze, in the light of recent conceptualizations, the meaning of motivation and lack of motivation for writing. The second is to outline and illustrate with examples some guidelines for instructional practice aimed at fostering student motivation to write at school. The final part of the chapter is focused on the role of the teacher in promoting motivation to write.