Findings From a Three-Year Study of Reading Renaissance in a Title I Urban Elementary School

Gilbert Elementary/Harris Elementary, Gilbert, Arizona (AZ)

Abstract:

DETAILS: Location: Arizona; Design: Independent, quasi-experimental; Sample: 300 students at 2 matched elementary schools; Measures: Star Reading, Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-9), Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales (PALS); Duration: 3 years.

RESULTS: This study examined the long-term effect of Accelerated Reader and best classroom practices on the reading performance and Motivation of students at an urban, Title I elementary school. The researchers built upon Sadusky and Brem, 2002 (available online), which examined 5 years of SAT-9 and Accelerated Reader data, as well as feedback from students, teachers, and parents gathered through surveys/focus groups. Students lacking at least 2 consecutive years of test data were excluded, strengthening the evidence that the Accelerated Reader school outperformed the control school. Administering an adapted version of PALS to the students 3 times, the authors found that students participating in Accelerated Reader maintained a high level of mastery-oriented motivation (learning for learning's sake) toward reading while becoming less performance-oriented (working for the grade), that students tended to be performance oriented if they perceived their teachers to be, and that perceived mastery orientation of teachers was associated with both mastery- and performance-orientation in students.

AUTHORS: Jenefer Husman, PhD and Sarah Brem, PhD.

Report available online.

Publication Date:
01/01/2005