We want to know what motivates adolescent readers and develop effective teachers.

Reaching Rural Readers is devoted to promoting literacy in rural high school students and helping future teachers develop important skills that they will need in their future classrooms. We know that best practices in youth literacy and teacher education should be evidence-based.

Teen participants in Reaching Rural Readers are invited to participate in our research on reading motivation. We want to know what engages and motivates teen readers so that we can better serve our participants, improve classroom practices, and share this valuable information with others. Our research involves a short survey and interview, and all participants are kept anonymous in our reporting. Both the teen and a parent/guardian must sign a consent form to participate in the research.

To be a discussion faciliator in Reaching Rural Readers, English Education majors must consent to participating in our research to investigate if their sense of efficacy in working with secondary students increased after serving as a facilator for book discussion and to determine what, if any, additional benefits or drawbacks emerged from participation in the program. This research helps develop more effective education courses and teachers who have the skills to excel in their profession.