An analysis of spelling patterns of 8-11-year-old children

Abstract

This research aims to analyse and compare the English and Maltese spelling patterns of children with Written Language Disorder (WLD) and Typically Developing (TD) children aged between 8 and 11 years. This study uses both primary and secondary data. Primary data included one participant who was asked to take two spelling tests, one in Maltese and another in English, and the parent was asked to complete a questionnaire asking about the home spelling strategies. Permission to access secondary data was obtained, of which the spelling test results for Maltese and English were used. Both primary and secondary datasets were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively using the Pearson Chi-Squared Test. The analysis investigated the effect of the independent variables (ability, grade, school type, school language, and home language) upon the dependent variables (spelling score, and the spelling patterns). A case study approach was implemented to analyse the parent responses. Findings show that the children with Written Language Disorder tend to make more frequent spelling errors, and tend to obtain lower scores. These patterns were observed in both English and Maltese. Findings also revealed that children attending State Schools obtained the lowest scores. The parent’s responses to the questionnaire showed that the child attempts to spell unfamiliar English words using the whole-word approach, and Maltese words phonetically. This research provides insight into the spelling patterns of children with Written Language Disorder, and how they differ from those of Typically Developing children. This information is beneficial to Speech-Language Pathologists because by understanding which spelling patterns are typical and which are atypical, it may help in earlier identification of Written Language Disorder, as well as in improving intervention planning and management.