Supplemental Literacy Instruction in High School: What Students Say Matters for Reading Engagement

In this article, we describe a model for reading engagement that emerged from interviews with high school students who participated in a yearlong supplemental intervention course. The course focused on motivation, strategies, content learning, and communication within the context of themed instruction. We sought to ascertain instructional factors, within the context of the supplemental reading course, that were most engaging for students from the students’ perspective. Using constant comparative analysis methods, we identified themes that emerged from interviews with 63 students who participated in the intervention. Participants articulated the significance of relevant texts, self-efficacy with valued tasks, classroom relationships, and reading strategies in influencing their literacy engagement. Based on these themes, we present an engagement model that expands on earlier models emphasizing cognitive, behavioral, motivational, and social dimensions. Implications suggest pathways for engaging students who are participating in targeted literacy interventions.