Consistency of Learning Disabled Students' Spelling Performance

Abstract

Spelling accuracy and error patterns were assessed to determine the consistency of learning disabled subjects' spelling performance on varying forms of word presentations. A dictated word list assessment and a dictated paragraph assessment were administered to 20 learning disabled students in third through sixth grade. A detailed error analysis, based on phonetic principles and predictable generalizations, was performed on all misspelled words. Results indicated that the learning disabled subjects' spelling accuracy was consistent across the two dictation formats. This consistency did not vary greatly between good and poor spellers. Comparisons of the two forms of dictated presentations revealed that the specific types of spelling errors demonstrated also were quite consistent. Such error-pattern consistency indicates that the learning disabled subjects utilized systematic approaches to spelling dictated words. Hence, the findings support the use of diagnostic error-analysis techniques with learning disabled students, as well as a structured approach to the teaching of spelling related to orthography patterns.