The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of second grade students about reading, themselves as readers, their motivation to read, and their subsequent reading achievement. Allowing students time to read independently during the school day and providing various reading materials in the classroom are options that some school districts consider to improve motivation to read, and in turn, to improve reading achievement. However, two questions remain: Does providing time to read independently in class improve reading achievement? Does providing time to read independently in class have an impact on a student's motivation to read? A quasi-experimental design employing quantitative and qualitative methods was used. The quantitative portion consisted of data collected from the Texas Primary Reading Inventory, or TPRI (Texas Education Agency, 2006), and the Motivation to Read Profile, or MRP, survey (Gambrell, Palmer, Codling, & Mazzoni, 1996). The qualitative portion consisted of data collected using second grade student key informant interviews, teacher interviews, and classroom observations. The constant comparative data analysis technique (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) was utilized, and emerging codes and themes were identified. Interrater reliability was established. Data and methods triangulation (Merriam, 1998) and member checks (Patten, 2007) were employed. All data were utilized to determine if structured daily independent reading impacted reading achievement and motivation to read of second grade students. Results indicated a general improvement in the reading comprehension, fluency rate, and motivation to read of students in a second grade class that implemented structured daily independent reading with follow-up activities. Themes emerged involving the influence of other people in the students' reading choices, students' personal preferences in books, discussion about books, book choice, becoming a better reader, instruction, changes in students, and avoidance of reading. Structured daily independent reading with follow-up activities led to higher student engagement and more time spent on task during independent reading. Higher student engagement then led to increases in reading achievement and motivation to read of the students in the intervention group. [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://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]