Four extensive case studies of academically disengaged students in middle childhood clarify the issues, theories, and strategies educators can use to help students construct meaningful academic lives.

Dilemmas, theories, and strategies for constructing meaningful academic lives are highlighted in four extensive case studies. Perspectives of children, caregivers, and researchers are synthesized with findings from research on social development and learning. While other texts in the field focus on specific learning disabilities or a wide range of age groups, Motivation and the Struggle to Learn emphasizes a range of learning disabilites in students experiencing middle childhood.