The purpose of this quantitative method, causal-comparative study was to explore the impact of gender, socioeconomic status, school climate, and parental involvement on reading ability and intrinsic motivation. This study focused on a group of 113 9th grade students from a rural Tennessee high school. Data were collected and analyzed to determine if there were statistically significant impacts from the variables. Results concluded there was not a statistically significant difference in students' reading ability or intrinsic motivation based on gender, socioeconomic status, school climate, or parental involvement. Furthermore, the study showed that reading ability and intrinsic motivation cannot be predicted by gender, socioeconomic status, school climate, or parental involvement. Keywords: intrinsic motivation, school climate, parental involvement, socioeconomic status, gender. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]