Motivating law students to 'do the reading' before class : appropriate extrinsic and intrinsic motivational tools

Many university lecturers despair at the low rate of pre-reading and preparation students undertake prior to coming to class. Set passages of textbooks and other allocated material are often not read at all - or are only read in part - by students. In seeking to remedy this, the lecturer has at their disposal an array of extrinsic and intrinsic motivational tools. Deciding which of these tools to apply to a particular cohort of students requires careful consideration of a number of variables. The stage of the degree program is of primary importance - first year students require more scaffolding, and extrinsic motivational tools can be appropriately used to facilitate the transition into more independent, later-year reading patterns. As academics who are training future lawyers, we have to equip our students to be regular and competent consumers of the written word, in considerable bulk and complexity. This paper examines the practical considerations facing the lecturer in deciding how to motivate students to read beforehand and prepare for class, and suggests specific motivational techniques suitable to different circumstances. The results of a small survey of a first year cohort are also reported. The survey gathered quantitative and qualitative responses from students about their motivation to read and obstacles to reading. The literature identified various positive and negative influences on students' decisions about 'doing the reading'. Student responses in the survey data corresponded with the themes identified in the literature.