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Spelling skills of children in whole language and phonics classrooms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Maggie Bruck ,
Rebecca Treiman ,
Marketa Caravolas ,
Fred Genesee  and
Marie Cassar
Maggie Bruck*
Affiliation:
McGill|University
Rebecca Treiman
Affiliation:
Wayne State University
Marketa Caravolas
Affiliation:
McGill University
Fred Genesee
Affiliation:
University of California, Davis
Marie Cassar
Affiliation:
Wayne State University
*
Maggie Brack, Department of Psychology, McGill University, 1205 Dr. Penfield Avenue, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1BI, Canada. Email: Bruck@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca
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Abstract

The spelling skills of grade 3 children who had received whole language instruction since they began to learn to read were compared with those of grade 3 children attending a phonics program. The children were asked to spell a list of words and nonwords. Overall, the phonics group produced more accurate word spellings than the whole language group. In addition, the phonics children's spellings of nonwords included more conventional, phonologically accurate patterns. There were no group differences on measures of orthographic acceptability or on preservation of skeletal structure.

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 19 , Issue 4 , October 1998 , pp. 669 - 684
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1998

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