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Article published In:
Spelling Acquisition in Cross-linguistic Settings
Edited by Susie Russak and Elena Zaretsky
[Written Language & Literacy 25:1] 2022
► pp. 40–66

Concurrent predictors of spelling accuracy in secondary education in a semi-consistent orthography

The role of non-phonological spelling strategies

| Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Spelling is a complex skill that requires mobilizing various levels of linguistic and orthographic representation. While there is substantial evidence of the impact of phonological skills in its development, less is known about the explanatory value of non-phonological (e.g., morphological, orthographic) strategies in conventional spelling scores. This study assessed the unique impact of non-phonological spelling strategies after accounting for a large set of linguistic and cognitive predictors, as well as contextual variables (e.g., SES) in a language with a semi-consistent orthography: Catalan. Participants were 328 eighth-grade students from low-income households. Results showed that non-phonological spelling skills explained a substantial proportion of the variance in conventional spelling, over and above the rest of predictor variables, including phonographic skills, with the final model explaining more than 80% of the variance. Theoretical and educational implications are discussed.

Keywords: spelling development, phonological strategies, non-phonological strategies, triple word-form theory, POMAS, Catalan orthography
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Spelling is best looked at from strategy use
    • 1.2Several skills underlie conventional spelling accuracy
    • 1.3Catalan orthography
    • 1.4The current study
  • 2.Method
    • 2.1Participants
    • 2.2Tasks and measures
      • 2.2.1Raven’s matrices
      • 2.2.2Verbal short-term memory
      • 2.2.3Working memory
      • 2.2.4Inhibition
      • 2.2.5RAN
      • 2.2.6Vocabulary
      • 2.2.7Morphosyntax
      • 2.2.8Word reading
      • 2.2.9Handwriting
      • 2.2.10Spelling
    • 2.3Procedure
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1Non-phonological spelling strategies
    • 3.2Predictors of conventional spelling
  • 4.Discussion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 7 June 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/wll.00060.sal
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