The Accelerated Reader program and students' attitude towards reading.

This study explores the relationship between the use of the Accelerated Reader Program, a computerized reading management program marketed by Advantage Learning Systems, Inc., and student's attitudes towards reading while specifically focusing on the difference in attitudes toward reading between low achieving and high achieving students. In addition, this study describes the relationship between reading achievement and the use of the Accelerated Reader Program.
This study is quasi-experimental in nature since it does not use a random sample or random assignment to groups. In order to assess student attitudes toward reading, the Heathington Attitude Scale (intermediate version) was employed. The Heathington Attitude Scale is a Likert scale, or summated rating and gives feedback about school-related reading activities such as free reading and organized reading, reading at the library, reading at home, other recreational reading, and general reading. The Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests was used to assess reading achievement. These test, published by Riverside Publishing Company, are standardized achievement of reading from the end of Kindergarten through Grade 12. Each level test consists of two tests: a vocabulary test and a comprehension test. The reading passages include a balance of different genres of writing. Results of the study suggest that there is no significant relationship between the use of the Accelerated Reader Program and student interest toward reading. Likewise, the study showed that the Accelerated Reader program did not have a significant impact on the reading interest of low achieving students when compared to high achieving students. Similarly, the data indicated that there was not a significant relationship between the use of the Accelerated Reader Program and student reading achievement. Finally, recommendations have been presented for further research of the following: the study should be conducted using a larger sample of participants and a comparison of the increase or decrease in student interest in reading during the school year between the students using the Accelerated Reader Program and those who do not.