The Nature of Rural High School Students’ Reading Engagement

The authors examined the dimensions of reading engagement for rural ninth-grade students who participated in a supplemental literacy intervention for students who struggled with school-based reading. Using a comparative case study approach, researchers investigated the ways in which engagement was characterized and undermined within the context of the class. Behavioral, motivational, cognitive, and social dimensions of engagement were studied. Findings showed students reported active engagement in reading outside of school and used knowledge and skills as capital in the classroom. Students embodied agency in engaging in or resisting in-class literacy activities as they related to their goals and interests. Implications for supplemental literacy courses are discussed.