A Mixed Methods Exploration of Reading Intervention, Reading Motivation, and School Engagement With High School Students

Older students with reading difficulties struggle with high school academics and are at risk for not graduating. Despite a growing body of research on adolescent literacy in upper elementary and middle school, the research on high school reading interventions is relatively scant and not as promising as one would hope. Rather than assuming students know how to read well by the time they enter secondary schools, educators need to consider the reading skills students may be lacking as well as ensure that students remain motivated and engaged in learning. This study synthesizes the research findings from several studies on supplementary reading interventions for adolescents as well as research findings on how motivation is interwoven with adolescent literacy achievement. Previous research has examined motivation for reading by looking at intrinsic and avoidance motivation and forming reading profiles of students in fifth grade. My study brings these profiles to the high school level and investigates whether the reading profiles at the end of eighth grade predict reading achievement and motivation for ninth grade students in a reading intervention course and those not in a reading intervention. The study focuses on ninth grade, a pivotal year for students, and how students’ involvement in reading intervention courses prior to and in ninth grade predict student achievement on a reading comprehension measure, as well as their reading motivation and school engagement.