Analysis of the Writings of Fourth Grade Students with Low Vision in Terms of Legibility and Spelling Mistakes

Abstract

This descriptive study, which aims to analyse the writings of fourth grade students with low vision in terms of legibility and spelling mistakes, is in a general survey design. The study group consisted of 32 students with low vision who were selected by criterion sampling method, one of the purposive sampling methods. In the study, Multidimensional Legibility Scale was used to evaluate the legibility of the writings of students with low vision, and Spelling Mistakes Evaluation Form developed by the researcher to determine the spelling mistakes. In the analysis of the data, Mann-Whitney U test was used together with descriptive analysis. As a result of the research, it was determined that the writings of fourth grade students with low vision were generally not legible or were legible at a moderate level. In terms of spelling mistakes, it was observed that fourth grade students with low vision made the most mistakes in “letters”, “words”, and “spelling”. “Writing the letter smaller / bigger than the relevant range” was the most frequent, and suffix (“ki”) was the least misspelled. It was determined that the legibility and spelling mistakes scores of fourth grade students with low vision did not differ according to the variables of gender, school type, and braille writing. On the other hand, a significant and negative correlation was found between spelling mistakes and legibility scores. The findings were discussed within the framework of the relevant literature, and some suggestions for future studies and applications in the field were presented.