The purposes of this qualitative research were to (a) determine if the Renaissance Accelerated Reader program provided motivation for fifth grade students to read beyond the classroom; and (b) to determine if the Accelerated Reader program acted as a catalyst to affect changes in students' reading behaviors as a result of extrinsic rewards. Seventy-six students participated in the study between October 2002 and March 2003. Results showed that students were clearly motivated by extrinsic rewards and preferred choosing to read books on the Accelerated Reader list to those that did not have an accompanying A.R. quiz. Rewards, points and recognition were the primary motivating factors that encouraged students to participate in the Accelerated Reader program; however, there were some drawbacks for poor or reluctant readers, and the success of the Accelerated Reader program as a motivator for students to read may be a short-lived experience. Further research is recommended to determine how students from the intermediate school, who participated in the Accelerated Reader program, progress once they reach seventh and eighth grade where the program is not in place.
","abstract_html":"<p>The purposes of this qualitative research were to (a) determine if the Renaissance Accelerated Reader program provided motivation for fifth grade students to read beyond the classroom; and (b) to determine if the Accelerated Reader program acted as a catalyst to affect changes in students' reading behaviors as a result of extrinsic rewards. Seventy-six students participated in the study between October 2002 and March 2003. Results showed that students were clearly motivated by extrinsic rewards and preferred choosing to read books on the Accelerated Reader list to those that did not have an accompanying A.R. quiz. Rewards, points and recognition were the primary motivating factors that encouraged students to participate in the Accelerated Reader program; however, there were some drawbacks for poor or reluctant readers, and the success of the Accelerated Reader program as a motivator for students to read may be a short-lived experience. Further research is recommended to determine how students from the intermediate school, who participated in the Accelerated Reader program, progress once they reach seventh and eighth grade where the program is not in place.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Girard, Paula A."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.A. in School and Public Librarianship","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Special Educational Services/Instruction","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Shontz, Marilyn"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2003,"date_issued":"2003-06-15T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2003-06-15T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:14:13Z","subjects":["Fifth grade (Education); Reading (Elementary)","Library and Information Science"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/1307","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Shontz, Marilyn"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Girard, Paula A."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-05-05T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Special Educational Services/Instruction"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.A. in School and Public Librarianship"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Fifth grade (Education); Reading (Elementary)","Library and Information Science"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/1307"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purposes of this qualitative research were to (a) determine if the Renaissance Accelerated Reader program provided motivation for fifth grade students to read beyond the classroom; and (b) to determine if the Accelerated Reader program acted as a catalyst to affect changes in students' reading behaviors as a result of extrinsic rewards. Seventy-six students participated in the study between October 2002 and March 2003. Results showed that students were clearly motivated by extrinsic rewards and preferred choosing to read books on the Accelerated Reader list to those that did not have an accompanying A.R. quiz. Rewards, points and recognition were the primary motivating factors that encouraged students to participate in the Accelerated Reader program; however, there were some drawbacks for poor or reluctant readers, and the success of the Accelerated Reader program as a motivator for students to read may be a short-lived experience. Further research is recommended to determine how students from the intermediate school, who participated in the Accelerated Reader program, progress once they reach seventh and eighth grade where the program is not in place.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Does the Accelerated Reader program motivate fifth grade students to read beyond the classroom?"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Shontz, Marilyn"],"dc:creator":["Girard, Paula A."],"dc:date.available":["2016-05-05T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purposes of this qualitative research were to (a) determine if the Renaissance Accelerated Reader program provided motivation for fifth grade students to read beyond the classroom; and (b) to determine if the Accelerated Reader program acted as a catalyst to affect changes in students' reading behaviors as a result of extrinsic rewards. Seventy-six students participated in the study between October 2002 and March 2003. Results showed that students were clearly motivated by extrinsic rewards and preferred choosing to read books on the Accelerated Reader list to those that did not have an accompanying A.R. quiz. Rewards, points and recognition were the primary motivating factors that encouraged students to participate in the Accelerated Reader program; however, there were some drawbacks for poor or reluctant readers, and the success of the Accelerated Reader program as a motivator for students to read may be a short-lived experience. Further research is recommended to determine how students from the intermediate school, who participated in the Accelerated Reader program, progress once they reach seventh and eighth grade where the program is not in place.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/1307"],"dc:subject":["Fifth grade (Education); Reading (Elementary)","Library and Information Science"],"dc:title":["Does the Accelerated Reader program motivate fifth grade students to read beyond the classroom?"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Special Educational Services/Instruction"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.A. in School and Public Librarianship"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:14:13Z"}