Identification of factors which contribute to spelling development in Maltese year 2 children

Abstract

All children need to learn to read and write. However, in spite of all the advances in the educational field a number of children continue to lag behind, and find it difficult to acquire basic literacy skills. The aim of this dissertation was to identify the factors that contribute to Maltese spelling development of children in Year 2. To reach this aim, the researcher administered tests of word rhyming, word segmentation, letter knowledge and word spelling to investigate the relationship between the attainment of underlying skills of phonological awareness and that of Maltese spelling. Furthermore, the influence of socio-economic factors on school localities and teachers' methodology on children's spelling attainment were also investigated. Findings from the study suggest that a) underlying skills of phonological awareness, especially phoneme segmentation, letter awareness and syllable segmentation together with b) parental role in their children's early literacy development and c) teachers' methodologies have been identified as important factors contributing to spelling development in Year 2 children.