A Comparison of Two Strategies to Teach Spelling to Students Who Are Learning Disabled

Abstract

Spelling is often frustrating for students with learning disabilities. They may seem to 'learn’ the words because the words are spelled correctly on a weekly spelling list. However, the spellings may be forgotten the minute the test is over. The purpose of this study was to compare two spelling strategies to teach spelling to students with learning disabilities to determine if one helped them to retain the words better. The first strategy involved traditional activities, such as putting the words in alphabetical order. A weekly spelling test was administered. The second strategy was student-monitored. The students started with a bank of 'known’ and ‘unknown’ words. They were taught a repetitive, multi-sensory strategy for learning the words. This included daily practice tests. They were responsible for keeping track of their progress and moving on to new words. After six weeks, posttest was administered. The results showed that the student-monitored group spelled 29% more words correctly than the group taught through traditional methods. The results could interest teachers who may want to learn more about spelling strategies that ensure the words are retained over time.