Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1974. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Introduction In 1922, Gates obtained a correlation of r = . 55 between spelling ability and a speeded test measuring the ability to discriminate small differences between paired words. This study results from Gates' finding and is divided into two parts. Part I is concerned with checking Gates' results and determining if the speed factor is essential for the word discrimination test. Part II examines the feasibility, at the Grade VI level, of employing drill exercises in word discrimination as an aid to spelling. Part I Tests of spelling, mental ability and word discrimination were given to 211 pupils in a Junior High School in Victoria, British Columbia in the third week of Grade VII. The word discrimination test was given speeded with a one minute time limit, and unspeeded with a four minute limit. The correlation between the speeded discrimination test results and spelling was almost identical to that obtained by Gates thirty-three years ago. The correlation between the word discrimination test unspeeded and spelling was low at r[subscript bis] = .18, though still significant at the .05 level of confidence. Mental age correlated with spelling r = .66 and with word discrimination speeded r = .41. A first order correlation between word discrimination speeded and spelling, with mental age held constant, gave r[subscript 12.3] = .40. Separate correlations computed for boys and girls revealed no significant difference between the corresponding coefficients. Part II Thirty-two drill sheets involving exercises in word discrimination were used with an experimental group of 107 pupils in Grade VI. These drills were started-at the end of September and were conducted daily for the first two weeks, three times weekly for four weeks, and twice weekly for five weeks. After completion of the drill exercises it was found that, in both word discrimination and spelling, the experimental group had made gains, significant, at the .01 level of confidence, over a control group of 97 pupils. It should be noted that the drill exercises in word discrimination were done during part of the school time allotted to spelling, so that, in effect, the experimental group received one third less spelling instruction during the eleven week experimental period than did the control group. Conclusions The ability to discriminate small differences between words is significantly related to spelling ability and is measured more effectively by a speeded test. It is suggested that the inadequate discriminatory ability when dealing with word forms shown by the weaker spellers is a result of insufficient emphasis on this skill, possibly when learning to read. It is evident that most of the students examined by this study could have derived benefit from exercises in word discrimination beginning, probably, in the primary grades. Finally, as the initial spelling achievement of the experimental group compared favourably with Provincial norms and norms obtained from the United States, it is possible that the drill exercises have very wide applicability. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2001. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-106).

Thesis--Lund. / Added t.p. with thesis statement inserted. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Lund. / Added t.p. with thesis statement inserted. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 1998. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-133).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1971. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

The WISC-R (Wechsler, 1974) was administered to 29 good spellers and 31 poor spellers in grade six. The obtained scaled scores were recategorized in the manner suggested by Bannatyne (1974) into Spatial (Block Design, Object Assembly, and Picture Completion), Conceptual (Vocabulary, Similarities, and Comprehension), and Sequential (Digit Span, Coding, and Arithmetic) categories. The poor spellers were highest (mean score) in the Spatial category, intermediate in the Conceptual category, and lowest in the Sequential category. The good spellers were highest in the Conceptual category, intermediate in the Sequential category and lowest in the Spatial category. These results are similar to those obtained in Bannatyne's 1971 study of genetic dyslexic children, and other studies reported in the literature for disabled and retarded readers. The implications of these findings are briefly discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

A thesis submitted to the faculty of arts, University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. Johannesburg, 1991. / Literacy includes both the ability to read and to spell. Yet until recently, and despite its importance, there has been less research on spelling than on reading. Perhaps this was because writing as a linguistic skill was considered in a marginal way as secondary to, and derivative from, speech. It was conceptualised as a photograph of spoken language (de Saussure, 1916), or as a code of transcription (Luria, 1970) with spelling presumed to be based on inner pronunciation of the phonic (sound) forms of the spoken language. Cognitive researchers were slow to recognise that written language is neither a complete isomorph of the spoken Language (Gelb,1963),nor a process of reading-in-reverse (Bradley and Bryant, 1979; Bradley, 1983), but rather, is a complex and autonomous system of representation, both of the deeper lexical-morphemic levels of language (Venezky,1970; Ellis, 1982), as well as of the mappings of phonology. As such, spelling proficiency is a highly complex intellectual achievement in its own right, and is worthy of psycholinguistic interest in the same way as other language-based skills, such as speech perception, speech production and reading comprehension. [Abbreviated Abstract. Open document to view full version] / GR2017

The purpose of the present study was to determine the achievement levels and expressed attitudes and feelings, five years later in 1972, of a group of students who learned to read in grade one in 1966-1967, using i.t.a. in comparison to a group who learned to read using T.O.Four areas of achievement, namely Reading Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, Spelling, and Mathematics were tested by use of selected sub-sections of the California Achievement Test. A questionnaire was developed to determine the attitudes and feelings of students toward first grade reading experiences and their present attitudes and feelings toward reading in 1972.A Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Test administered during the first grade was used as the entry level for the analysis of co-variance. Analysis of variance and covariance were the statistical techniques used to determine the differences between the groups that might be attributed to sex, method, or sex by method interaction.The student sample for the study consisted of 143 pupils from the Marion Community Schools, located in Marion, Indiana. The method of instruction of 67 of the pupils hadbeen i.t.a. in first grade while 76 pupils in the same schools had instruction with T.U. materials. The students have been exposed to various materials in the five years since their initial learning experiences, with random grouping of those who were initially presented i.t.a. or T.O.Data were analyzed to test the null hypotheses:There are no differences in levels of achievement of pupils who learned to read using i.t.a. and those using T.O. on either of the four dependent measures attributable to the following,1. sex2. method3. sex by method. interactionThe computed F ratios were not significant between sexes, methods, or sex by method interaction for reading vocabulary, reading comprehension, spelling, and mathematics, therefore the null hypotheses could not be rejected, for these areas of achievement.There are no differences in levels of achievement of pupils who learned to read using i.t.a. and those using T.O. on either of the four dependent measures with the entry level as a co-variant attributable to the following,1. sex2. method3. sex by method interactionThe computed F ratios were not significant between methods or sex by method interaction for reading vocabulary, reading comprehension, spelling, and mathematics when the entry level was used as a co-variant. The computed F ratios were not significant between sexes for reading vocabulary, reading comprehension, and mathematics when the entry level was used as a co-variant. The computed F ratio was significant between sex for spelling when the entry level was used as a co-variant. The co-variant, entry level, was significant. The null hypotheses could not be rejected for differences between methods or sex by method interaction for reading vocabulary, reading comprehension, spelling, and mathematics when the entry level was used as a co-variant. The null hypotheses could not be rejected for differences between sexes for reading vocabulary, reading comprehension, and mathematics with the entry level as a co-variant. The null hypotheses for differences between sexes must be rejected for spelling with the entry level as a co-variant because significant differences were found.Data were analyzed to test the null hypotheses:There is no difference in attitude toward beginning reading learning as revealed by a questionnaire between pupils in the group who learned to read using i.t.a. and those using T.O. for,1. the total group2. the boys3. the girlsOnly slight differences were found in the responses to the part of the questionnaire concerning reading attitudes and feelings about learning to read. Therefore the null hypotheses could not be rejected.Data were analyzed to test the null hypotheses: There is no difference in attitude toward reading as revealed by a questionnaire between pupils in the group who learned to read using i.t.a. and those using T.O. for, 1. the total group2. the boys3. the girlsNo consistent differences in attitudes and feelings were revealed in answers to the part of the questionnaire concerning attitudes and feelings about reading at the present time (1972). Therefore the null hypotheses could not be rejected.For the pupils in this study it seems tenable to conclude that little difference exists in the achievement levels of reading, spelling, and mathematics between the group of students who learned to read using i.t.a. and the group who learned to read using T.O. after five years of study beyond the initial reading learning experiences.Likewise, little difference exists in the expressed attitudes and feelings of these groups.Spelling achievement levels were significantly different between sexes with the entry level as a co-variant. Girls then scored higher than boys regardless of the method.The entry level, a first grade intelligence test score, was significant for each area of achievement. Therefore it seems tenable to conclude that intelligence, as measured by this instrument, played an important part in the achievement of both groups. Students scoring higher on the intellectual measure also scored higher on achievement tests regardless of the method and students scoring poorer on the intellectual measure also scored poorer on the achievement test regardless of the method.