Spelling Skills Research Articles

Enhancing spelling skills in dyslexic primary students: A comparative study of remedial and compensatory interventions in chennai

Learning to spell poses significant challenges for young learners with dyslexia, who often encounter difficulties with phonological awareness and orthographic processing. This study explores the effectiveness of a structured, two-stage intervention aimed at enhancing spelling skills among 25 primary school students in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, whose native language is Tamil. In the initial four-week phase, participants engaged in remedial activities focused on developing phonological and orthographic awareness, essential foundations for accurate spelling. This phase targeted the students’ ability to recognize sound patterns and understand letter-sound associations, providing a base for further learning. In the following sixteen-week phase, the intervention expanded to include compensatory strategies designed to reinforce initial learning and foster a more comprehensive understanding of spelling. This phase incorporated the multimodal learning, combining visual, auditory, and kinesthetic techniques, as well as task-oriented exercises, play-based activities, and gamified methods to make the learning process more engaging and enjoyable. These varied approaches aimed to enhance students’ spelling skills while maintaining their interest and motivation. The study’s findings demonstrated that both the remedial and compensatory interventions had a positive impact on students' spelling abilities. However, while the phonological and orthographic methods helped build essential skills, they required a longer duration to ensure retention beyond the intervention period. Conversely, the integrated, multimodal approach introduced in the second phase resulted in faster and more substantial improvements. This outcome highlights the benefits of a dynamic, interactive approach in supporting dyslexic learners who are acquiring English as a second language, promoting both skill acquisition and engagement.

Problems and prospects of developing spelling skills in schoolchildren with visual impairments in Uzbekistan

This article addresses issues concerning the development of accurate word pronunciation skills in English among students with visual impairments in Uzbekistan. The challenges include a scarcity of Braille literature, discrepancies in word writing and pronunciation between Uzbek and English, confusion stemming from similarities and differences in the Braille-based English alphabet and the Latin-script Uzbek alphabet, as well as a lack of educational materials and the production of essential and supplementary educational literature. The complexities associated with these issues are examined, with particular focus on psychological obstacles faced by students in the same demographic when learning English. Additionally, practical recommendations for enhancing this field will be formulated based on empirical research findings. Special attention is also given to the needs of consumers requiring educational materials for this demographic, adherence to academic standards, and the promotion of a conducive learning environment for students with visual impairments studying English.In addition, the issue of ensuring communication between schoolchildren with visual disabilities and their teachers, as well as assistants aiding in lesson preparation for the same group of students, in creating child-specific dictionaries and educational literature, is being addressed. There is also a need to coordinate the efforts of both state and non-state organizations on international and local levels to support the development of dictionaries and educational materials for teaching English to visually impaired students in Uzbekistan, along with establishing a system for delivering them and the necessary educational equipment

Text Messaging as an Instruction Support on Spelling Performance of the Learners

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of text messaging on the spelling performance skills of the learners in selected elementary schools. It utilized the descriptive method of research to explore the prevailing or existing condition as to the extent of text messaging and the spelling performance of the learners. The findings revealed in the dictation and written test of the learners that their spelling skills highest frequency was “Good.” Further, the results showed a highly significant relationship between the extent of cellphone use on text messaging and the spelling performance of the learners. However, some of the participants contradicted the views mentioned, according to them, using a cellphone in texting can be used as a tool to enhance the spelling performance of the learners due to the built-in features of grammar and spelling. Therefore, it is concluded that text messaging can be used as a tool to support instruction in the spelling skills of the learners. Further, it is recommended to give full guidance on the proper usage of a cellphone to appropriately correct the learners’ spelling skills.

Targeted Analysis of Common Spelling Errors among Grade Six Pupils

Spelling errors are the most common inaccuracies in the writing of ESL learners. Despite the numerous studies on writing, teaching spelling as a research topic has often been overlooked. The primary objectives of this mixed method study are to describe the common spelling errors of grade 6 pupils of an all-girls school in Metro Manila post-pandemic, identify teaching strategies to minimize spelling errors and propose recommendations for teaching spelling. First, spelling tests and student handwritten essays were analyzed for spelling errors, which were later categorized using Cook’s classification. Second, interviews with Language teachers to identify teaching strategies were held, determining key themes and best practices in spelling instruction. The results indicated that students committed spelling errors mostly by omission, substitution, and insertion, and the strategies to enhance spelling skills include utilizing visuals, engaging students through interactive materials and collaborative activities, and using the words in context. Based on the findings, it is recommended to consider the following in crafting a spelling program: a fundamental list of commonly misspelled words following the rule-based system, a bank of effective strategies to expose students to words in context and engage them for active learning, a continuous assessment of spelling student abilities, and evaluation of the spelling program.

Dimensionality of Writing Skills in English and Spanish, and the Relations of Language and Cognitive Skills to Written Composition for English‐Spanish Emergent Bilingual Children in Grade 1

AbstractWe examined the relations of language skills (vocabulary, listening comprehension, and oral retell), transcription skills (spelling and handwriting fluency), and domain‐general cognitions/executive functions (working memory and attentional control) to writing quality for English‐Spanish emergent bilingual children in Grade 1. Data were from a convenience sample of 211 children (57% girls; 82% Hispanic, 9.5% White, 4% Asian American children) who were assessed on written composition, vocabulary, listening comprehension, oral retell, and spelling in English and Spanish; handwriting fluency and working memory in English; and attentional control rated by their teachers. Confirmatory factor analysis results showed that writing quality in English and Spanish in narrative and opinion genres was best described as a unidimensional skill. Structural equation model results showed that English oral language, English spelling, and Spanish spelling skills, but not Spanish oral language skill, were independently related to writing quality, after controlling for gender, English learner status, Hispanic status, and enrollment in dual immersion program. The relations of working memory and attentional control to writing quality were indirect, mediated by oral language and transcription skills. These results are discussed in light of theory and in the context of emergent bilingual children in primary grades.

Spelling morphology in Hebrew: Comparing monolingual and bilingual children

AbstractBilingual children are at risk for gaps in literacy in the societal language compared to monolingual peers. However, most research has focused on reading achievement, and only few studies have investigated spelling abilities, with contradictory findings. Here, we compare Hebrew spelling skill and its predictors in bilingual and monolingual elementary school children, immersed in Hebrew as a societal language. Specifically, we examined the morphological elements in Hebrew spelling. Monolingual children outperformed bilingual children in spelling accuracy, in both 2nd and 4th grade. In addition, phonological awareness and morphological awareness were significant predictors of spelling for both groups, but their relative contribution differed across the groups. Finally, even though bilingual children had lower morphological knowledge than monolingual peers, both groups showed the expected developmental pattern of spelling function letters more accurately than root letters. This pattern in Hebrew spelling acquisition is driven by the morpho-orthographic regularities of the language. These results support previous findings emphasizing the role of morphology in Hebrew spelling acquisition, extending them to bilingual children. We suggest that examining the linguistic backgrounds of children and the unique characteristics of the language and orthography are crucial for reaching a nuanced understanding of bilingual spelling acquisition.

The Effects of a Morphological Awareness Intervention on Reading and Spelling Ability of Children With Dyslexia

This paper examines the effects of a morphological awareness intervention on the word reading and spelling skills of Grades 4 to 6 children with dyslexia. Sixteen children in eastern Ontario, Canada, received 20 hours of morphologically oriented instruction spread over 6 weeks and eight served as controls, and all received a battery of reading and spelling tests before and after the intervention. Students were taught the nature of morphology and the types of morphemes, how words could be assembled from morphemes or deconstructed into morphemes to make meaning from print and access the correct pronunciation, and how to use morphology in reading and spelling words. Repeated measures analyses of variance and analyses of covariance indicated that the experimental group showed significantly larger gains than the control group on measures of morphological awareness, morphological decoding, morphological analysis, and morphological spelling. There were no significant effects on word reading (fluency and accuracy) or on standardized spelling measures.

Handwriting Legibility is Related to Spelling Level, but Not to Reading and Spelling Progress

ABSTRACT In three studies the relationship between handwriting difficulties and dyslexia was investigated. Study 1 examined differences in handwriting difficulties between children with (n = 331) and without dyslexia (n = 305). Children with dyslexia experienced more difficulties with legible handwriting than those without. Study 2 explored the relationship between handwriting difficulties and reading/spelling proficiency among children with dyslexia (n = 311). Reading level and legibility were not related, whereas spelling level and legibility were. Children whose handwriting was extremely poor were more likely to have spelling problems. Study 3 investigated whether handwriting difficulties affected progress in reading and spelling during remediation (n = 249). While children with limited handwriting legibility generally exhibited poorer spelling skills, it did not impede their progress in reading and spelling during the intervention. These findings suggest that handwriting proficiency does not necessarily affect remediation efforts for reading and spelling.

LanguageScreen: The Development, Validation, and Standardization of an Automated Language Assessment App.

Oral language skills provide a critical foundation for formal education and especially for the development of children's literacy (reading and spelling) skills. It is therefore important for teachers to be able to assess children's language skills, especially if they are concerned about their learning. We report the development and standardization of a mobile app-LanguageScreen-that can be used by education professionals to assess children's language ability. The standardization sample included data from approximately 350,000 children aged 3;06 (years;months) to 8;11 who were screened for receptive and expressive language skills using LanguageScreen. Rasch scaling was used to select items of appropriate difficulty on a single unidimensional scale. LanguageScreen has excellent psychometric properties, including high reliability, good fit to the Rasch model, and minimal differential item functioning across key student groups. Girls outperformed boys, and children with English as an additional language scored less well compared to monolingual English speakers. LanguageScreen provides an easy-to-use, reliable, child-friendly means of identifying children with language difficulties. Its use in schools may serve to raise teachers' awareness of variations in language skills and their importance for educational practice.

Relationship Between Resting State Functional Connectivity and Reading-Related Behavioural Measures in 69 Adults

Abstract In computational models of reading, written words can be read using print-to-sound and/or print-to-meaning pathways. Neuroimaging data associate dorsal stream regions (left posterior occipitotemporal cortex, intraparietal cortex, dorsal inferior frontal gyrus [dIFG]) with the print-to-sound pathway and ventral stream regions (left anterior fusiform gyrus, middle temporal gyrus) with the print-to-meaning pathway. In 69 typical adults, we investigated whether resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) between the visual word form area (VWFA) and dorsal and ventral regions correlated with phonological (nonword reading, nonword repetition, spoonerisms), lexical-semantic (vocabulary, sensitivity to morpheme units in reading), and general literacy (word reading, spelling) skills. VWFA activity was temporally correlated with activity in both dorsal and ventral reading regions. In pre-registered whole-brain analyses, spoonerisms performance was positively correlated with RSFC between the VWFA and left dorsal regions (dIFG, superior parietal and intraparietal cortex). In exploratory region-of-interest analyses, VWFA-dIFG connectivity was also positively correlated with nonword repetition, spelling, and vocabulary. Connectivity between the VWFA and ventral stream regions was not associated with performance on any behavioural measure, either in whole-brain or region-of-interest analyses. Our results suggest that tasks such as spoonerisms and spellings, which are both complex (i.e., involve multiple subprocesses) and have high between-subject variability, provide greater opportunity for observing resting-state brain-behaviour associations. However, the complexity of these tasks limits the conclusions we can draw about the specific mechanisms that drive these associations. Future research would benefit from constructing latent variables from multiple tasks tapping the same reading subprocess.

Mediation in the Relation of Orthographic Processing on the Lexical and Sublexical Level with Reading and Spelling Skills. A Large Cross-Sectional Study in Elementary School Children in Germany

ABSTRACT Purpose Two types of orthographic knowledge were examined: i) knowledge of permissible letter combinations (general orthographic knowledge) and ii) knowledge of whole words (word-specific orthographic knowledge), to gain further insights into the relationship of general and word-specific orthographic knowledge with literacy skills. Method Mediation models were estimated using a sample of 2,636 3rd and 4th grade children (50.6% female, ethnic backgrounds were not surveyed) to examine whether general orthographic knowledge predicts reading fluency and spelling performance and whether this path is mediated by word-specific orthographic knowledge. Using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), we examined whether the responses to correctly spelled words/legal letter patterns and pseudohomophones/illegal letter patterns in word-specific and general orthographic knowledge tasks were generated by separate latent constructs. Results Our results confirm that word-specific orthographic knowledge is a facilitatory mediator in the relationship between general orthographic knowledge and literacy skills. The relationship of general and word-specific orthographic knowledge with literacy skills varies by item type, with a tendency toward higher correlations between literacy skills with pseudohomophones (vs words) and illegal (vs legal) pseudowords, which is in line with the two-factor solution of the CFA. Conclusion From a theoretical perspective, we conclude that general orthographic knowledge facilitates orthographic learning of words. From a methodological perspective, we encourage future researchers to distinguish between targets and foils in orthographic decision tasks.

Utility value of improving writing skills for adult basic education students

AbstractMotivational research identifies utility value, or the importance of a learning task to future goals, as central to motivation to learn. This study analyzed survey data (N = 86) collected from adult literacy learners to examine their utility value of writing improvement in grammar and spelling skills, word processing skills, and planning, drafting, and revising skills. Findings revealed that participants had a high utility value of improving writing in all three skill areas and possessed a variety of underlying motivations, including obtaining further education, seeking future employment, and personal reasons. Participants' age, educational attainment, and reading levels showed relationships with utility value of improving grammar and spelling skills, and age showed an additional relationship to utility value of improving word processing skills. This work extends research on motivation in this population and supports the application of expectancy‐value theory to both adult motivation and writing motivation.

Spelling Facilitates Reading: A Tutorial on the Spell-to-Read Approach.

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), prevention, identification, assessment, and intervention of children who are learning to read and write are within the scope of practice for school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Furthermore, for SLPs who work in the school setting, it is not uncommon to have struggling readers and poor spellers on their caseloads. Importantly, for students who have difficulty in spelling, their spelling errors are among the early indicators of dyslexia and can provide a means for identifying readers who may benefit from early intervention. SLPs can both assess spelling skills and implement evidence-based spelling and literacy diagnosis and instruction. Spelling instruction in kindergarten through the high school grades that is heavily grounded in metalinguistic activities can provide access to mental representations of word spellings, pronunciations, and meanings; links between whole-word and phonics approaches to reading instruction; and a foundation for reading fluency and comprehension. Learning to spell is essential for learning to read. Accordingly, this tutorial aims to elucidate how to (a) assess and identify phases of spelling development and (b) teach spelling to facilitate reading through a listening-first approach.

Early cognitive predictors of spelling and reading in German-speaking children

Theoretical backgroundWhile reading and spelling skills often are interconnected in models of literacy development, recent research suggests that the two skills can dissociate and that reading and spelling are associated with at least partly different cognitive predictors. However, previous research on dissociations between reading and spelling skills focused on children who have already mastered the first phases of literacy development. These findings suggest that dissociations are due to distinct deficits in orthographic processing (i.e., unprecise orthographic representations vs. inefficient serial processing). It is therefore unclear whether dissociations already become apparent during the initial stages, or rather emerge later in development. This study aims to enhance the understanding of the predictors of early spelling and reading skills, investigating potential variations, by considering various cognitive factors beyond well-established ones.MethodsData were collected at two time points: cognitive predictors and early reading and spelling skills were assessed at the end of kindergarten (T1) before formal literacy instruction started, and reading and spelling skills were again assessed in Grade 1 (T2). The data analysis included 353 first-grade participants. Linear regression analyses assessed predictive patterns, while logistic regression analyses explained children's likelihood of belonging to different proficiency groups (at-risk or typical skills).ResultsResults revealed phonological processing, letter knowledge, and intelligence, as significant predictors for Spelling in grade 1 (T2), even after adding the autoregressor (Spelling in kindergarten at T1) and the respective other literacy skill (Reading T2). For Reading in grade 1 (T2), phonological processing, and rapid automatized naming (RAN) surfaced as significant predictors after adding the autoregressor (Reading T1). However, only RAN surfaced as a significant predictor for Reading T2 after adding the respective other literacy skill (Spelling T2). In line with these findings, logistic regression analyses revealed that phonological processing predicted group allocation for Spelling T2 and RAN predicted group allocation for Reading T2.ConclusionsOverall, the study underscores the importance of phonological processing and letter knowledge as early predictors of spelling and reading skills in Grade 1. Moreover, intelligence is identified as a predictor for early spelling, while rapid automatized naming (RAN) emerges as a predictor for early reading.

A (mérsékelten rizikós) koraszülöttség az IQ hátrány ellenére nem akadályozza az olvasási és helyesírási képességek fejlődését

Background and aims: It is well established that the impacts of prematurity are often long-lasting in the various domains of development, however, the published findings concerning the prevalence, severity, and background of disorders are inconsistent. As yet research into the development of abilities contributing to the academic progress in Hungarian preterm children has been scarce. Our study aimed to find out to what extent prematurity impeded the reading and spelling abilities in school age and to contribute some information on the cognitive background of the performances. Methods: Three groups of 7 – 12 year-old children participated in the study. The target group consisted of moderate-risk preterms. For comparison two groups of full-term children were tested: typically developing good readers and dyslexics. To assess the reading and spelling abilities the Hungarian version of the 3DM (Dyslexia Differential Diagnosis) was used. Cognitive abilities were assessed using the Hungarian adaptation of the WISC-IV and the Rey Complex Figure Test. Results: The reading and spelling performances of the full-term good readers and the preterms did not differ and the preterms scored higher than the dyslexics. The cognitive tests did not offer any direct explanation to this, since the preterms lagged behind the full-term good readers in the WISC-IV full-scale IQ as well as in several specific cognitive measures. The CART Decision Tree served to analyse the relationships, allowing to reveal the interactions and the moderation effects. Discussion: The CHC model as a theoretical framework and the CART Decision Tree statistical analysis proved to be fruitful to disentangle the complex interplay of the cognitive background factors. There are various cognitive paths of acquiring the reading and spelling skills, e.g., in case of relatively lower IQs the sufficient levels of memory and processing speed may ensure success.

Development of Spelling Skills When Studying the Topic of "Complex Words" in Russian Language Lessons in Middle School

This article discusses the concept of "spelling skills", defines the goals in teaching pupils spelling skills. The author of the article presents exercises for the development of spelling skills when studying the "Complex Words" topic. It is concluded that the development of spelling skills is a time-consuming process that requires a systematic approach from the teacher. In particular, it is necessary to use exercises, the forms and techniques of which should vary so that classes spark interest in children and lead to successful comprehension of spelling skills.

Prompting-fading with Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Tactile (VAKT) Media for Reading Skills of Dyslexia Children

Dyslexia children have problems with recognition, data accuracy, poor decoding, and poor spelling skills. Of course they need appropriate learning or implement the advantages they have. There are several intervention methods that can overcome the learning difficulties of children with dyslexia, one of which is using multisensory (VAKT). This VAKT method maximizes the implement of the senses in its intervention. The implementation of VAKT can be collaborated with prompting-fading in dyslexic children. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the prompting-fading technique with VAKT media could improve early reading skills in dyslexic children in elementary school. This study uses a quantitative approach with a single-case experimental design. The instrument used in this study refers to the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA). The results showed an increase in the initial reading ability score in dyslexic children. It can be concluded that the prompting-fading technique with VAKT media is able to improve the early reading ability of dyslexia children.
 Keywords: early reading ability, dyslexia, prompting-fading, VAKT media

‘That’s Not Something That’s Necessarily on the Radar’: Educators’ Perspectives on Dysgraphia

Abstract This qualitative study focused on educators’ perspectives of teaching students with dysgraphia. Dysgraphia can be referred to as a specific learning disorder (SLD) in writing and includes difficulties with handwriting, spelling, and/or composition skills. To explore the educators’ experiences, an interpretative phenomenological analysis method was implemented. This involved generating semistructured interviews and locating key concepts from these interviews, in tandem with researcher reflections. The results indicated that educators developed their self-efficacy in supporting students with dysgraphia on the job, augmented by self-guided and external searches for information about dysgraphia. The participants described their colleagues as generally unable to provide them with dysgraphia-specific knowledge due to a lack of awareness of dysgraphia within schools. Two of the three educators pursued Multisensory Structured Language training, departing the classroom to work in private tuition. Three teachers offered strategies for supporting students with dysgraphia, such as explicit, systematic, scaffolded, and repetitive instruction coupled with assistive technologies or lined paper and slant boards. The study concluded that dysgraphia-specific professional learning, coupled with collective efficacy, could proactively build teachers’ capacity and self-efficacy in supporting dysgraphia within an inclusive education context. These measures would more aptly support students with dysgraphia to reach their potential.

Literacy instruction from afar: evidence for the effectiveness of a remotely delivered language-rich reading programme

AbstractThere is good evidence that high-quality instruction targeting reading-related skills in the classroom leads to gains in reading. However, considerably less is known about the possible efficacy of remote instruction. This study evaluated the efficacy of an interactive evidence-based language-rich literacy programme. 184 children were randomly allocated either to an 8-week remotely delivered language-rich literacy programme or to a wait-list control group. Children in the programme arm (n = 77 at analysis) completed 16-lessons remotely targeting vocabulary, phonemic awareness, reading, spelling, and narrative skills. Children in the wait-list arm (n = 58 at analysis) received business-as-usal from their schools. Children’s word reading accuracy and phonemic awareness was measured prior to and after the programme delivery period. Children receiving the literacy programme made significantly larger gains than the wait-list control group on reading accuracy (d = 0.32) and phonemic awareness (d = 0.63). This study demonstrates that a remotely-delivered literacy programme is effective. These findings have important implications for delivering specialist literacy instruction at scale.

Associations between students’ reading performance and literacy instruction in first grade: a cross-lagged study

This cross-lagged study examined the classroom-level associations between the reading performance of first-grade students (N = 537) and observed literacy instruction activities in classrooms (N = 30) in the autumn and spring terms. The multilevel analyses indicated that lower average word reading skills in the classrooms (i.e., there were more students who were learning to read) in the autumn were associated with higher amount of activities supporting consolidation of reading and spelling skills in the spring. In contrast, higher average word reading skills in the classrooms in the autumn were associated with higher amount of independent meaning-focused activities in the spring. Higher extent of whole-group meaning-focused activities in the autumn was positively associated with reading comprehension at classroom level in the spring, whereas independent phonological recoding practice in the autumn was negatively associated with reading comprehension in the spring. The study provides novel understanding of the associations between students’ reading performance and literacy instruction especially showing how students’ reading skills at classroom level may inform instruction in the classroom. This information may guide teachers to adapt their instruction at classroom level but also to identify the students needing differentiation. The results also acknowledge the affordances and limitations students’ skills may set for the instruction.