Comparing Paper Reading Diaries to Pageticker - Pilot Study Results

Overview

In the infancy of Pageticker in early 2025 we worked closely with three pilot schools who provided us with valuable early-stage feedback.

During this early phase, the one question we really wanted to answer was, is Pageticker really getting children to read more? Here are our conclusions.

Collecting the data from paper reading diaries

The method was simple: we asked our pilot schools to provide the paper reading diaries they’d used from September to January with their students prior to introducing Pageticker, and we went through them, counting entries. Then we pulled the same information for February to May for those students from our database to analyse their Pageticker usage.

The paper diaries looked well used, and parents had been enthusiastically using them at the start of the school year. There were plenty of entries (although not much in the way of comments.)

Here’s a typical double page from one diary. For any EYFS or KS1 teacher, this view will be familiar.

Whilst at a glance it looks good, it highlights how even the most well-used paper reading diaries can actually mask a problem. In the instance below, these 12 entries actually cover over two months of reading. When wading through a pile of 30 reading diaries, even the most diligent of teachers might fail to spot that this child had not read for some pretty long periods of time.

Paper reading diaries can look busy and full, but unless you look at the dates carefully, it can mask a problem

Paper reading diaries - the results

With paper reading diaries we found that on average, there were 11.2 logs made per student per month from September to January.

Pageticker - collecting the data

With each circle representing a reading log, it was easy to calculate an equivalent figure for Pageticker. However, at first glance we were concerned this figure might be lower - there were clearly long spells highlighted where some children hadn’t read. But in fact this is just down to the fact that these periods are much more visible in this view.

It's easier to identify gaps in a child's reading history with Pageticker's whole class weekly view

Pageticker - the results

As it was, when we dug into the data, we were delighted to find that on average, parents made an average of 19.9 logs made per student per month from February to May using the app.

Comparison

This graph illustrates clearly the uptake:

Paper reading diaries were replaced with Pageticker on 3rd February in our pilot schools

The huge leap we saw in February and March was not replicated in April (Easter holidays), but even that month - the worst performing with Pageticker - saw more logs recorded than the best month with paper reading diaries.

	Paper reading diaries	Pageticker
Logs per child per month	11.2	19.9

In short, parents logged reading 78% more with Pageticker.

Other Observations

It wasn’t just the number of reading logs that had improved. The logs also contained a wealth of additional information that the paper diaries never recorded

• Page numbers and multiple reads were recorded for every record.

• Fluency metrics were associated with 19% of logs (where the parent had scored for accuracy, reading rate, expression and comprehension)

• Almost 50% had a star rating attached

• 11% had recorded a difficult word

• 40% had a comment

• A ‘book review’ feature was introduced in March, and this feature had already been used by 56% of the families using the app.

Conclusions

Why the improvement? Now we’re into the anecdotal evidence - primarily:

• It's often easier to find your phone than a pen

• Teachers involved in the pilot could easily send reading reminders to parents as emails and push notifications

• In-app rewards incentivise children to read more.

So we’re doubling down on these areas. We know that reading engagement is the best indicator of academic success (even more than socio-economic class - OECD Study 2002), and a multitude of academic studies have linked it to dozens of other things too: raised self-esteem, better sleep, improved ability to express emotions, even longevity. Because ultimately, saving teachers and parents time is a nice-to-have, but boosting reading engagement in young people is essential.

Note that this study was completed in Spring 2025 - since then, we have relentlessly enhanced Pageticker to build on its early success. View our most recent case studies here.

If your school is using Pageticker, or thinking of using Pageticker, we'd very happily work with you to provide impact evidence on its implementation - just drop us a line at support@pageticker.com