Design, Incentive-based Online English Reading

In the new century, reading ability has become an important yardstick to evaluate a person. Reading is a two-way interactive process, which should be focused on fun, meaning and real purpose. With the globalization of English learning, with the rise of web-based learning, web-based reading serves as the main source of learning English and collecting information. As a newly-rising learning media, the charm of web has been identified by many learners. But every coin has two sides, web-based learning also has its own disadvantages. And the current design of web-based reading lacks motivational elements which lead to readers' want of enthusiasm.Motivation concerns the "why" of behavior. The concept helps explain what initiates or energizes behavior, what directs it toward certain ends, and what maintains it over time. Attribution theory, achievement theory, ARCS theory, context design theory, the motivation principles in instructional message design and English reading motivation analysis, all of them can be applied in web-based English reading design, with purpose of bringing about optimization of reading experience. Theory should be applied in practice. In this thesis, motivational theories will be applied in web-based English reading environmental design and process design. Environmental design includes instructional message design, layout design and context design. Among them, context design comes from SuperMotivation theory, which discovers that all activities have two aspects: the task and the context. The task is the basic activity. The context is everything else. Most tasks are inherently boring. However, any activity can be made highly motivating if a motivating "context" is added to the basic task. And context design endeavors to incorporate all kinds of motivational factors into the context. Process design includes pre-reading design, reading design and post-reading design. Pre-reading design provides readers with a personalized choice, motivates reading mood and builds appropriate relevancy. Reading design emphasizes on designing supporting elements and methods to promote reading. Post-reading design is focused on the design of tasks and feedback. Research on these three parts will contribute to a more motivating and meaningful reading process.