This downloadable e-book focuses on the interdependence of student motivation, engagement, and academic literacy. It includes chapters detailing findings from researchers at the University of Maryland and is based on the work of a five-year grant from NICHD. The authors explore multiple positive and negative drivers for adolescent learning as well as the impact of social and cultural perspectives on reading activities and achievement. Chapter topics focus on student motivation—those “values, goals, beliefs, and dispositions for reading”—specifically addressing the reading of informational texts. They also examine the different contexts for motivation and engagement through comparisons of the classroom experiences of African American and European American students.
