Improving Spelling Performance and Spelling Consciousness

Abstract

This study examined the immediate and sustained effects of three training conditions on both spelling performance and spelling consciousness of 72 third-grade low- and high-skilled spellers. Spellers were assigned to a strategy-instruction, self-correction, or no-correction condition. The role of spelling ability and word characteristic were also taken into account. Regarding the immediate effects, the strategy-instruction condition was more effective for spelling performance, and more effective for spelling consciousness pertaining to loan words than the no-correction condition. Regarding the sustained effects on spelling performance and spelling consciousness, the positive effect of the strategy-instruction condition faded out after training. The four training sessions were insufficient for establishing long-lasting effects.

Keywords:

• spelling performance
• spelling consciousness
• spelling training
• strategy instruction
• self-correction

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We thank Charles A. Perfetti for his insightful contributions to this manuscript.

Notes

In the original design of this study, we had a fourth condition in which students received the same training as in the condition that is now named the strategy-instruction condition. However, in this fourth condition, the training was given not to individual students but rather to a group of students. Unfortunately, the Master students who trained the students were not used to teaching a group of students. Despite the extensive instruction they received in how to train the students, it was hard for them to get the students to pay attention during the training. Because of this lack of teaching experience, a large number of the third-grade students were hardly paying attention. Consequently, we decided not to include this condition into the analyses.

²At the pretest, posttest, and retention test, students were also individually interviewed about their spelling. They were asked questions about how they evaluated their spelling skills in comparison with their classmates’ spelling skills, which steps they used to spell a word (when they knew the word and when they did not know the word), which words were difficult for them, and what they could do to spell words correctly. The trainer just asked these questions, but did not give suggestions regarding how to spell better.

³Spelling consciousness was measured in each training session as it was measured in the pretest, posttest, and retention test. Before students were instructed to write down a word, they had to indicate whether they thought they could write the word correctly or not.

The spelling consciousness of students in all three conditions did not increase between pretest and posttest: strategy-instruction, t(26) = –1.46, p =.16; self-correction, t(17) = –.23, p =.82; no-correction, t(26) = 1.42, p =.17.

Table 4 Difference Scores for Spelling Consciousness on the Different Words in the Three Conditions (%)

In additional analyses, we established that spelling performance and spelling consciousness were related in our study at the pretest (r =.65, p <.0001), posttest (r =.77, p <.0001), and retention test (r =.86, p <.0001). High spelling performance went along with high spelling consciousness, and vice versa.