Learning From Our Mistakes: Improvements in Spelling Lead to Gains in Reading Speed

ABSTRACT

The present study tested the hypothesis that underlying orthographic representations vary in completeness within the individual, which is manifested in both spelling accuracy and reading speed. Undergraduate students were trained to improve their spelling of difficult words. Word reading speed was then measured for these same words, allowing for a direct evaluation of whether improvements in spelling would bring about faster reading speeds. Results were clear: Spelling accuracy and reading speed were strongly related across and within participants. Most important, words that improved in spelling accuracy were read more rapidly at posttest than words that did not show improvement in spelling. These results provide direct evidence showing that the quality of orthographic representations, as indexed by spelling accuracy, directly relates to reading speed. This is consistent with the lexical quality hypothesis and highlights the relevance of spelling in literacy acquisition.

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to extend gratitude to Dr. Lisa Dawn Hamilton for her assistance with the mixed-effects modeling.

Funding

This research was funded by grants to both authors from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Notes

¹ Note that there were too few instances of inconsistent spelling (10.2%) to permit a separate analysis of this category of performance (see also Martin-Chang et al., 2014).

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by grants to both authors from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.