Background

English language has been the essential language for international communication in China. However, teaching English in China faces several challenges. One significant challenge faced by teachers is finding suitable books that cater to the diverse reading levels of the students (Silver, 2002). The heavy reliance on school textbooks limits students’ exposure to a wider range of English literature. To encourage broader reading, teachers need to be able to assess students’ reading levels and interests and recommend appropriate books to inspire and motivate independent reading.

In response to this challenge, we conducted a pilot study of an online reading platform, called Accelerated Reader [AR]. This blog post discusses the results of our pilot study and outlines some of the challenges in implementing such a programme in the Chinese context.

Accelerated Reader: The English language teachers’ aide

Accelerated Reader (AR) was created in the mid-1980s and is used in more than 75,000 schools worldwide, including more than 800 schools in China, although most of these are independent or international schools. AR aims to promote students’ independent reading and reading for pleasure. It screens pupils to determine their reading levels and suggests appropriate books. It helps teachers to objectively assess students’ reading levels. Students then take online quizzes after reading, earning points and certificates upon achieving set goals. The AR dashboard allows teachers to monitor pupils’ reading progress.

While AR has been evaluated in several countries, most of which are in Western democracies (such as the UK, US and Australia), no robust, independent evaluation of AR has been conducted with public school Chinese students.

Impact of AR on the reading performance of Chinese students

To test the effectiveness of AR on Chinese students, we conducted a pilot cluster-randomised control trial in two public primary schools in two provinces in China with 528 Year 5 and Year 6 (aged 10 to 12) students. Four classes (n=195 students) were randomly assigned to receive AR, while seven classes (n=333 students) continued with the regular curriculum. The results showed that AR children made more progress in reading compared to the control group over 16 weeks (12 to 13 sessions), with an effect size of +0.27. This means that if the median children in the control group were to use AR, they would move up 35 positions in ranking (Baird & Pane, 2019).

Does AR improve students’ reading habits and motivation to read?

Our evaluation showed that AR improves Chinese primary school students’ English reading habits and intrinsic motivation. Compared to the control students, AR students were reading English texts more frequently, and they did so because they wanted to, not because their parents asked them to.

‘Accelerated Reader students were reading English texts more frequently, and they did so because they wanted to, not because their parents asked them to.’

Challenges in implementing AR

While AR shows promise in enhancing English reading skills among Chinese students, adopting it more widely may be challenging for the following reasons:

• To use AR effectively, schools need adequate infrastructure, including sufficient computers, stable Wi-Fi and appropriate browsers.
• Since AR only provides book quizzes rather than books, to use AR effectively there needs to be sufficient English books. Finding time within the curriculum to deliver AR is also a challenge.
• AR is a licensed product, with an average cost of around £10,044 or £48 per pupil (Sutherland et al., 2021). This includes a one-off training fee and purchasing books. These expenses are prohibitive for state-funded schools, which is likely why AR is mostly used in private or international schools in China.
• The large average class sizes in Chinese schools make implementation challenging due to the logistical issues of managing large groups.
• AR may not be suitable for students with very low levels of English proficiency. Our research found that these students needed significant support and guidance from teachers.
• Lack of computer literacy was also a barrier among some primary school children. We were surprised to find that some children had trouble using the keyboards to search book titles, a skill often taken for granted.
• While teachers received initial training, they still needed lots of support to deliver the programme effectively.

Conclusion

Public schools in China considering AR should weigh these barriers against the potential benefits. We are currently also evaluating a free-to-use online reading programme as a potential alternative to AR. While AR does not have online books (only quizzes), the alternative has online graded books in different difficulty levels, but no dashboard to monitor students’ reading strengths and weaknesses. If found to be effective, this free online reading programme could present a good alternative for resource-poor and cash-strapped schools.

References

Baird, M. D., & Pane, J. F. (2019). Translating standardized effects of education programs into more interpretable metrics. Educational Researcher, 48(4), 217–228. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X19848729

Silver, R. E., Hu, G., & Lino, M. (2002). English language education in China, Japan, and Singapore. National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University.

Sutherland, A, Broeks, M., Ilie, S., Sim, M., Krapels, J., Brown, E. R., & Belanger, J. (2021). Accelerated Reader: Evaluation report. Education Endowment Foundation. https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/documents/pages/projects/Accelerated_Reader_-_final.pdf?v=1723039698