Spelling awareness affects spelling performance positively

Anna M. T. Bosman

University of Nijmegen

SSSR, Amsterdam

June 27-30, 2004

Spelling tasks reveal spelling awareness

Study 1

Thanks to Manuela Donderwinkel

Participants

Regular SpecialGrade Girls Boys Girls Boys

3 9 10 - -

4 9 11 6 9

5 10 6 2 13

6 10 9 7 24

Total 38 36 15 46

Method

Each student wrote an essay

From each essay one correctly spelled and

one wrongly spelled word was selected

The set of correctly and wrongly spelled

words in each grade were then presented to

them in a writing-to-dictation task

Performance comparison on dictation and essay

0102030405060708090

100

Correct-Correct Wrong-Wrong Correct-Wrong Wrong-Correct

Regular Special

Spelling performance

0102030405060708090

100

Regular Special

Essay Dictation

Conclusions

A quarter (26%) of all spellings is unstable (‘Correct-Wrong’ of ‘Wrong-Correct)

Students spell better in a dictation task than in their essays, probably because– the formal reading style aids the process

Students make more errors in a dictation task than in their essays, probably because– they are aware of what they know and what they do not

know

Enhancing spelling awareness

Study 2

Thanks to Raquel Paffen

Participants

Condition SpAw1 Age G/B n

Experimental 68% 8;5 11/10 21

Control 68% 8;5 7/14 21

1 SpAw is level of spelling awareness: “Knows the spelling and the word is spelled correctly” + “Does not know the spelling and the word is spelled incorrectly”

Method

Pre-test and post-test materials consisted of 200 words selected from standardised Dutch spelling tests for Grades 2-6

Training materials consisted of words from the language curriculum “Taaltijd” used in the classroom

Increased spelling awareness

02468

101214161820

Experimental Control

Good spellers Poor spellers

Spelling performance

01020

30405060

708090

Exp-good Exp-poor Contr-good Contr-poor

Pretest Posttest

Conclusions

Spelling awareness– can be enhanced in 8-year-olds (Grade 3) – increases with the same amount in both good

and poor spellers– already improves slightly when just presenting

a pre-test and a post-test (indicated by the results of the control group)

Enhanced spelling awareness improves spelling performance

Study 3

Thanks to Marieke Willemen and Janet van Hell

Participants

Regular education Special education

Experimental Control Experimental Control

Pretest1 11% 9% 21% 20%

Age 8;7 8;9 11;6 11;9

n 12 12 7 7

1 Mean number of spelling errors in essay

Method

Each student wrote an essay Essays served as the starting point for the

experimenter to discuss difficult aspects of the spelling of each of the students individually

An individualised check list was made to aid the spelling-check task in subsequent training sessions.

Results of regular-education students

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Test 0 PT 1 PT 2 PT 3 PT 4 PT 5 PT 6

Experimental Control

Results of special-education students

0

5

10

15

20

25

Test 0 PT 1 PT 2 PT 3 PT 4 PT 5 PT 6

Experimental Control

Conclusions

Spelling performance

– improves as a result of increasing awareness

– improves in students from regular education as

well as in students from special education

– improves in regular-education students and not

in special-education students, who are only

asked to re-read their essays after completion

Thus, spelling awareness

is an implicit skill in regular and special-education students (Study 1)

can be enhanced in students as young as 8 years (Study 3)

improves in both good and poor spellers (Study 2)

improves in both spellers from regular and special education (Study 3)

is positively related to spelling performance (Studies 2 and 3)

Thank you for your attention

a.bosman@ped.kun.nl