Abstract
English word spelling attempts originate from spellers’ linguistic and metalinguistic processing. Our study examines the concerted impact of English metalinguistic skills- morphological, phonological, and orthographic processing- on English-as-a-foreign language spelling of a group of young English learners. Structural equation modeling confirmed a three-factor confirmatory factor model, validating phonological awareness on spelling with highest factor loading with degrees of morphology and orthography contribution to spelling. The qualitative spelling analyses also validated phonologically-oriented spelling errors as the most pervasive followed by unique contribution of orthography and morphology. Results, converging with existing literature, emphasize the metalinguistic skills impacts on early EFL literacy development.
Acknowledgments
The researcher acknowledges the support of Assoc. Prof. Dr. L. Quentin Dixon with her feedback and guidance in this project. Prof. Dr. Malatesha R. Joshi guided the researcher with his expertise in literacy, specifically with the qualitative analysis part of the study.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).