The present research explores the possibility of differentiating problem-solving operations generating success and difficulty to spellers at kindergarten and Grade 1. Four kindergarten girls and four kindergarten boys were identified in each of three schools. Two boys and two girls believed by their teachers to be advanced in spelling development and two boys and two girls perceived by their teachers to be delayed in this regard constituted the sample. The Dionne observation table was used to enrich the data collection methodology used by Case by recording, in individual sessions, all verbal and non-verbal operations performed by each of the subjects while attempting the research tasks in June of the kindergarten year, during the first week of February of Grade 1, and during the last week of May of Grade 1. Visual protocols, verbatim transcripts, and photocopies of invented spellings produced provided the experimental data. Based on the literature and on the protocols collected, the researcher constructed coding grids to describe 32 data related operations and 24 cognitive control related operations observed during the invented spellings of the target words. The two grids were used to analyze the invented spelling processes of the 19 subjects for whom there was complete data from all three data collection sessions. Videotapes were replayed as often as required to complete the coding grids. Differences in relative frequency distributions of use of each operation were calculated by ability and gender. Differences in progression over time between three data collection points within a one year time frame were examined for all subjects, for subjects by ability group, and for subjects by gender group. A difference of 25% or more was established as a discerning pattern for the purpose of the research. Strong and weak spellers used the same data related operations when inventing spellings. The sequence in development was the same for both groups, but operations emerged at a faster pace in strong spellers. Patterns of differences by ability were discerned for most consonant, vowel, and meaning related operations. Patterns of differences by gender emerged for only two data related operations--3-consonant blend and -ing ending. Patterns of differences by ability were discerned for some cognitive control operations in all five categories established during coding: Response style, focus of attention, articulation of plan, memory, and automatic production. No patterns of differences by gender were discerned. The Dionne Observation Table offered an elegant elaboration to verbal protocols as a means of interpreting cognitive processes, especially for subjects at the interrelational and early dimensional stages of thought for whom cognitive developmental limitations affect verbal protocol productions. Through the interpretation of cognitive operations made possible by its use, the extent of progress made by weak spellers in both data related and cognitive control related operational use has been underscored. The research opens an avenue for exploration of the extent to which operations can be taught to children in this young age group. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/9597 |
| Date | January 1996 |
| Creators | Poole-Hayes, Una. |
| Contributors | Dionne, Jean-Paul, |
| Publisher | University of Ottawa (Canada) |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 282 p. |
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