Work

Assessment of lexical and non-lexical spelling in students in Grades 1–7

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: The main aim of this study was to develop standardised tests that assess some of the most important spelling skills for children in primary school: sound-letter mappings (non-lexical spelling) and word spelling accuracy (lexical spelling). We present normative comparison data for children in Grades 1–7 as well as measures of validity and reliability for both tests. Another aim of this study was to assess the relative prevalence of spelling difficulties that only affect one skill selectively (only lexical or only non-lexical spelling) or both. We found that throughout Grades 1–7, children were as likely to have selective as they were to have mixed difficulties. This underscores the importance of measuring lexical and non-lexical skills separately. The tests presented in this paper provide teachers and clinicians with the necessary tools to do exactly that.

Source: Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties

DOI: 10.1080/19404158.2015.1023209

Authors: Saskia Kohnen, Danielle Colenbrander, Trudy Krajenbrink, Lyndsey Nickels

Institutions: ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie University

Language: English

Topic: Reading and Literacy Development

Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: green

Funder: Macquarie University