- Program have given permission for Education World to reprint 25 great ideas from teachers - ideas that are sure to get kids across the grades excited about reading. Reading Incentive Program, sponsored by Pizza Hut, has motivated millions of young readers over the years.
- Teachers in acquiring reading skills is considered, it is expected that reading motivation of the students will be high whose teachers also have a high reading motivation. Considering these issues, this study aimed to determine the variables that affect the reading motivation of students studying at the Faculty of Education.
Accelerated Reader on the outset looks like a great program. It is a web-based educational program designed to fit within existing classroom routines, to support independent and close reading skills. It can be used in whole group and small group activities, and independently as a center or station. It offers a personalized reading experience, and allow students the opportunity to read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction articles across the curriculum. AR provides comprehensive data to give insight into student performance, which allows teachers to tailor instruction and monitor progress. AR claims huge success and growth for student users, and claims to be one of the most heavily researched educational programs in the world (Renaissance Learning, 2016). If all AR's claims are true, why are there many opponents of this program?
Mark Pennington offers 18 reasons not to use Accelerated Reader (2010). World of warcraft skybox. A summary of his findings gives us the following criticisms:
The show was very good. Extremely motivational and entertaining' - Ms. Craig, 1st Grade Teacher, Sequoyah Elementary 'I liked that Bradini emphasized the importance of reading. Incorporating magic and the summer reading program was very effective.' - Teacher, Roosevelt Elementary.
- Narrow selection of books to choose from that may be inappropriate based on the readers' age and/or reading level
- Forcing a reader response that creates the mindset that reading is a chore, replaces intrinsic rewards with extrinsic rewards, and turns students off of independent reading
- Use of the AR system results in students attempting to ‘beat the system' and find cheats to get quiz answers
- AR reduces reading instruction and time spent reading books, while taking up significant instructional time
- AR has significant costs that take away from funds which should be put towards library resources.
In terms of motivational reading programs, AR rates books with a points system, where books of higher difficulty are assigned more points. Not surprisingly, there is no mention of this on Renaissance Learning's slick AR website. While AR does not provide prizes, the system is clearly designed to provide a way for teachers to reward students based on the points they earn. Content is not considered in the points system, so students may either read content intended for older students, which has higher difficulty, to earn more points, or may conversely read easy materials very quickly to earn more points (Pennington, 2010). Gary Stager writes in an ironic article for the Huffington Post that with AR, 'quantity of books crammed is prized over the quality of books read or the literary experience enjoyed' (2012).
The replacement of the intrinsic rewards of reading, such as a satisfying experience and sense of accomplishment, with extrinsic rewards, such as prizes, sends the message that reading is not a pleasant activity, and students should not do it without a reward (Krashen, 2011, p.45). Limiting choice by forcing students to choose books from their AR level makes reading into an unenjoyable chore. Blogger Mark Barnes recounts his son's question: 'I hate being told what I have to read. Why can't I pick what I like?' (2014). If reading is to be reduced to a chore done only for points, the motivation is surely lost and students do not continue reading after the chore is completed. 'Rewarding reading with prizes cheapens it, and undermines students' chance to appreciate the experience of reading for the possibilities that it brings to their life' (Miller, 2009, p. 151). If the goal of reading instruction in schools is to develop students with strong reading skills and a reading lifestyle, programs such as Accelerated Reader do nothing to foster a love of reading.
So why has the US embraced AR, with over 27 000 schools using the program? AR provides hard data for schools that are forced to provide numerical evidence of student learning. Stager writes that 'while Accelerated Reader suggests that it inspires literacy habits, its primary customer is the bureaucrat impressed by the marketing slogan, 'Advanced Technology for Data-Driven Schools.' Krashen writes that 'our first priority should be to make sure that high-interest reading material is easily available to students, and that students have a time and place to read… Instead, we rush off to purchase a more expensive, complex package that may have long term harmful effects' (2003).
References:
Barnes, M. (2014). Accelerated reader: Brilliant or insane? Retrieved from http://www.brilliant-insane.com/2014/09/accelerated-reader-brilliant-insane.html
Krashen, S. (2003). The (lack of) experimental evidence supporting the use of Accelerated Reader. Journal of Children's Literature, 29(2), 16-30. Retrieved from http://www.sdkrashen.com/content/articles/does_accelerated_reader_work.pdf
Krashen, S. (2011). Free voluntary reading. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
Miller, D. (2009). The book whisperer: Awakening the inner reader in every child. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Pennington, Mark (2010, 24 January). The 18 reasons not to use Accelerated Reader. Retrieved from http://blog.penningtonpublishing.com/reading/the-18-reasons-not-to-use-accelerated-reader/
Renaissance Learning. (2016). Accelerated reader 360: The most comprehensive K12 reading practice solution. Retrieved from http://doc.renlearn.com/KMNet/R0057844FB630C58.pdf.
Stager, G. (2012, 10 June). Mission accomplished! Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-stager/mission-accomplished_5_b_1408896.html
Connect on Twitter:
Gary Stager @garystager
Stephen Krashen @skrashen
Mark Barnes @mbarnes19
Donalyn Miller @donalynbooks
This is the website for the IMLS National Leadership Grant Research project entitled, 'Investigating Self-Determination Variables in Summer Reading Program Participants.' The focus of this research, uses an affective and motivational perspective to assess the connections between free voluntary reading (FVR) and reading motivation in public library summer reading programs for youth and the development of information literacy skills. Research findings have the potential to provide strong support for the importance of FVR programs in public libraries. Visit About Project to find out more. The study was conducted in 2012 and the research team is now analyzing the data. As reports become available, they will be shared on this web site along with any publications produced.
The replacement of the intrinsic rewards of reading, such as a satisfying experience and sense of accomplishment, with extrinsic rewards, such as prizes, sends the message that reading is not a pleasant activity, and students should not do it without a reward (Krashen, 2011, p.45). Limiting choice by forcing students to choose books from their AR level makes reading into an unenjoyable chore. Blogger Mark Barnes recounts his son's question: 'I hate being told what I have to read. Why can't I pick what I like?' (2014). If reading is to be reduced to a chore done only for points, the motivation is surely lost and students do not continue reading after the chore is completed. 'Rewarding reading with prizes cheapens it, and undermines students' chance to appreciate the experience of reading for the possibilities that it brings to their life' (Miller, 2009, p. 151). If the goal of reading instruction in schools is to develop students with strong reading skills and a reading lifestyle, programs such as Accelerated Reader do nothing to foster a love of reading.
So why has the US embraced AR, with over 27 000 schools using the program? AR provides hard data for schools that are forced to provide numerical evidence of student learning. Stager writes that 'while Accelerated Reader suggests that it inspires literacy habits, its primary customer is the bureaucrat impressed by the marketing slogan, 'Advanced Technology for Data-Driven Schools.' Krashen writes that 'our first priority should be to make sure that high-interest reading material is easily available to students, and that students have a time and place to read… Instead, we rush off to purchase a more expensive, complex package that may have long term harmful effects' (2003).
References:
Barnes, M. (2014). Accelerated reader: Brilliant or insane? Retrieved from http://www.brilliant-insane.com/2014/09/accelerated-reader-brilliant-insane.html
Krashen, S. (2003). The (lack of) experimental evidence supporting the use of Accelerated Reader. Journal of Children's Literature, 29(2), 16-30. Retrieved from http://www.sdkrashen.com/content/articles/does_accelerated_reader_work.pdf
Krashen, S. (2011). Free voluntary reading. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
Miller, D. (2009). The book whisperer: Awakening the inner reader in every child. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Pennington, Mark (2010, 24 January). The 18 reasons not to use Accelerated Reader. Retrieved from http://blog.penningtonpublishing.com/reading/the-18-reasons-not-to-use-accelerated-reader/
Renaissance Learning. (2016). Accelerated reader 360: The most comprehensive K12 reading practice solution. Retrieved from http://doc.renlearn.com/KMNet/R0057844FB630C58.pdf.
Stager, G. (2012, 10 June). Mission accomplished! Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-stager/mission-accomplished_5_b_1408896.html
Connect on Twitter:
Gary Stager @garystager
Stephen Krashen @skrashen
Mark Barnes @mbarnes19
Donalyn Miller @donalynbooks
This is the website for the IMLS National Leadership Grant Research project entitled, 'Investigating Self-Determination Variables in Summer Reading Program Participants.' The focus of this research, uses an affective and motivational perspective to assess the connections between free voluntary reading (FVR) and reading motivation in public library summer reading programs for youth and the development of information literacy skills. Research findings have the potential to provide strong support for the importance of FVR programs in public libraries. Visit About Project to find out more. The study was conducted in 2012 and the research team is now analyzing the data. As reports become available, they will be shared on this web site along with any publications produced.
Motivational Reading Programs For A
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