Can\u27t we just have study hall?: motivating adolescent boys identified with emotional/behavioral disorders to read for pleasure

This capstone examines the question: What engagement practices motivate adolescent males attending a program for emotional and behavioral disorders to sustain independent reading practices? The author reflects on the contrast between her experiences as a reader growing up and her experience teaching adolescents in special education programs. She begins by examining the differences in brain development between boys and girls and the impact of internal and external motivation on reading success. Three key factors of reading motivation are examined: choice, time, and introducing books. Influenced by Sullivan\u27s, Brozo\u27s, Smith and Wilhelm\u27s work with adolescent boys and Gallagher\u27s and Lesesne\u27s techniques for motivating students to read, the author implements four strategies in her classroom to motivate student pleasure reading: free independent reading, online library use, book talks and book advertisements