Educators, policy makers, and literacy experts alike have long been concerned with effective reading instruction. Students, however, must be engaged with their reading to make sufficient gains -- yet more traditional models of literacy instruction, typically seen at the secondary level, often fail to take into account the interests and needs of individual readers. Therefore, this qualitative case study examines how a reading workshop model of instruction engages middle school students as readers to more effectively meet their literacy needs and promote student reading success. In using self-determination theory as a guiding analytic framework, this study adds to the existing research analyzing how elements of self-determination theory support student engagement in the classroom. More specifically, the findings of this study indicate the reading workshop model serves to foster student engagement through the promotion of high-interest, appropriately challenging texts of students' choosing; interpersonal connections in the classroom; and student ownership over their learning. Additionally, the findings reveal teacher perceptions of the instructional model are tied to fidelity of implementation -- and ultimately to how student engagement is either promoted or hindered across classrooms. This study has implications for approaches to literacy instruction at the secondary level, as well as implications for secondary instruction, in general, around how to best promote student engagement in the classroom. [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.]