The Social Constructionism and New Literacies Studies supported the idea that the concept of (struggling) reader is not a given but is constructed in social interactions. With the literature review, I found that the frequently used term, "struggling reader," was ill-defined and felt the need to see how the concept is used in reading classrooms. In this dissertation study using collective case study method, I explored how secondary teachers working with a group of students considered as struggling in reading construct the concept of struggling readers in their discourses and practices with the two guiding questions: (1) How do teachers identify and define the struggling reader in classrooms? and (2) How does this perception assist and inhibit teacher practices? With the analysis, three constructs and four contexts in the social construction of struggling readers in teachers were revealed. The three constructs include (a) reading assessments, (b) students' schooling level, and (c) the diverse cultures of students are brought to the classroom were implicated in how teachers thought of struggling readers. Four contexts that affected the social construction of struggling readers in these teachers were (a) a deficit view of student culture, (b) high-stakes standardized testing, (c) everyday communications in school, and (d) absence of teacher education. Inequity from the larger context impacted on the construction of struggling readers in teachers deeply and viciously, by distorting the students' care as patronizing and institutionalizing. [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.]