Pupils who use Accelerated Reader (AR) enjoy reading, read frequently and think more positively about reading than their peers who do not use AR. This is based on findings using cross-sectional and longitudinal data sets. There is also some indication that pupils who do AR for four years have better outcomes in terms of reading enjoyment, reading frequency and reading attitudes than children who do AR for less than four years.
We also find that
reading enjoyment is the only variable in a complex interplay of variables
that has a strong bi-directional influence, regardless of gender and whether
children use AR or not. This not only highlights the importance of reading
enjoyment, but also underlines the need to develop effective methods to
encourage children and young people to read for enjoyment.