Spelling is often a lightning rod in discussions on literacy. The general public, as well as educators, often judge the state of literacy by the occurrence of accurate, conventional spelling (Templeton & Morris, 1999). The purpose of this study was to reveal how students employ strategies in their spelling and how spelling strategies were being taught in their classrooms. This study also sought to uncover teachers, parents, and students perspectives and knowledge regarding spelling.<p>Case studies of six elementary school students were conducted. Each student was interviewed, along with their teachers and one of their parents. Students also filled out a self-reflection form. Students and teachers were observed in their classroom setting.<p>Findings indicated that students used a variety of strategies. The primary strategy articulated was sounding out; the better spellers also used analogy and visualization. Students knew and often used the strategies encouraged by their teachers and parents. The literature linked the processes of reading, spelling and writing. Most of the participants mentioned the connection between reading and spelling, but failed to recognize the importance of writing for spelling. A third finding was that the teachers had adopted new methods for teaching spelling but had not altered their role to provide for increased learning.<p> Implications for practice include suggestions for combined methods for teaching spelling, explicit teaching of strategies for all students, and teacher education that includes reflection and action (Ritchie & Wilson, 2000, p. 88).
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:USASK/oai:usask.ca:etd-09132007-100607 |
| Date | 17 September 2007 |
| Creators | Kernaghan, Tracy M. |
| Contributors | Ward, Angela, Pushor, Debbie, Haines, Len |
| Publisher | University of Saskatchewan |
| Source Sets | University of Saskatchewan Library |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://library.usask.ca/theses/available/etd-09132007-100607/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Saskatchewan or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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