Reading Comprehension and Habits of Year 8 Students in Denla British School After Using the Accelerated Reader (AR) Star Test

Despite the widespread use of the Accelerated Reader (AR) STAR test in schools, a gap remains in understanding its long-term impact on students’ reading comprehension and attitudes, particularly within international educational contexts. This quantitative study addressed that gap by investigating 33 Year 8 students at Denla British School who have used the AR program consistently for five years. The research aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of AR in enhancing literal, inferential, and critical comprehension, as well as its influence on students’ enjoyment, engagement, and attitudes toward reading. A researcher-developed questionnaire was used for data collection, comprising a cognitive test with 39 comprehension questions and a survey exploring students’ perceived improvements, helpful features, and challenges related to the STAR test. The tool was reviewed for content validity and piloted with Year 7 students, resulting in refinements to the layout and instructions. It yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.5, indicating acceptable internal consistency. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. Results showed that students performed above average in literal and inferential comprehension, but only at an average level in critical comprehension. While students appreciated adaptive difficulty, genre variety, and feedback features, they also cited issues such as time constraints, limitations with multiple-choice questions, and technical problems. Correlation analysis revealed a weak relationship between comprehension and reading attitudes. Overall, the study concluded that while AR supports basic reading comprehension, it has a limited impact on critical thinking and intrinsic reading motivation.