The differential effects of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on higher-order comprehension : mediating roles of reading strategy use and lower-order comprehension

Abstract

This study investigated how intrinsic motivation (IM) and extrinsic motivation (EM) shape Chinese fourth graders’ higher-order comprehension (HO) through the mediating roles of reading strategy use (SU) and lower-order comprehension (LO). A total of 564 students from Chinese mainland completed a literary and an informational reading passage. Structural equation modeling was applied. Results showed that both IM and EM predicted HO indirectly via SU, underscoring strategy use as a pivotal metacognitive mechanism. Notably, EM exerted a stronger indirect effect than IM, reflecting the cultural and curricular contexts where extrinsic incentives effectively prompt systematic strategy application. By contrast, IM uniquely predicted HO through LO, highlighting that foundational skills of retrieval and straightforward inference act as a cognitive gateway to deeper comprehension. Pedagogically, this suggests fostering IM to strengthen LO as scaffolding for higher-order reasoning, while thoughtfully leveraging EM to encourage metacognitive strategy use in structured classroom settings . 本研究探讨了内在动机与外在动机如何通过阅读策略使用与低层次理解的中介作用, 影响四年级学生的高层次理解。我们对 564 名中国内地学生的阅读表现(包括一篇文学类和一篇说明类阅读文章)进行了结构方程模型的分析。结果显示, 内在动机和外在动机均通过策略使用对高层次理解产生间接影响, 这突出了策略使用作为关键元认知机制的作用。值得注意的是, 外在动机的间接效应强于内在动机, 这反映了在文化与课程情境中, 外在激励能够有效促使学生系统性地应用阅读策略。相比之下, 内在动机通过低层次理解可以预测高层次理解, 表面检索和直接推断等 （低层次理解） 基础技能是通向高层次理解的认知入口。这说明, 我们应通过培养学生的内在动机来强化他们的低层次理解, 作为高层次推理的支架。同时, 在课堂情境中应该合理运用外在动机, 以促进学生的元认知策略使用。