Offers an interpretive case study designed to provide insights about students' thoughts, feelings, and actions when not initially motivated for literacy tasks, and ways in which some students were able to become intrinsically interested. Reveals three different patterns of engagement (or lack thereof), represented in three different "Situations"…

Summarizes a key finding from a four-year longitudinal study of intrinsic motivation for literacy learning. Finds that this motivation may diminish as students move from elementary to middle grades and may be linked to fewer opportunities for self-expression in their learning environments. (SR)

Presents case studies of six teachers who completed year-long research projects on motivation for literacy learning in collaboration with high school students, considering their views on the nature of knowledge, the purposes of schooling, approaches to teaching and learning, perspectives on motivation, and roles and relationships with the school…