His research interests are in the role that motivational, volitional, and relationship factors have in learning to read, specifically in the interface between academic skills and non-cognitive determinants of skill growth. His work extends into the area of learning disabilities, investigating how struggling readers' motivation, self-regulatory skills and alliance with teachers help them benefit from remedial reading instruction. Other aspects of his work focus on reading skill measurement, modeling of treatment outcomes, and the individual cognitive and motivational variations that influence intervention response among struggling readers.