Do children use logic to spell logician? Implicit versus explicit teaching of morphological spelling rules

Bibliographic Data

ID5266249
AuthorsLauren Burton (0000-0002-4020-4249, Department of Education University of Oxford UK, corresponding author), Terezinha Nunes (0000-0002-1928-1805, Department of Education University of Oxford UK), Maria Evangelou (0000-0002-6728-7160, Department of Education University of Oxford UK)
Year2021
Volume91
Issue4
Pages1231-1248
Publication date2021-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Journal of Educational Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-0998 • E-ISSN: 2044-8279
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/bjep.12414
PMID33694167
OpenAlexW3134559847
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited58

BackgroundIntervention studies have reported the advantage of teaching children about morphemes for spelling, but direct comparisons between explicit and implicit teaching have been examined systematically in relation to only a few morphological rules.AimsThis study compared explicit versus implicit teaching of the functional rule for the conservation of stem morphemes in derived words in English (e.g.,logicis conserved in the derivativelogicianin spite of changes in pronunciation).SampleParticipants (n = 90; 7- to 9-year-olds) were drawn from three schools with a diverse intake.MethodsThe design included a pre-test and two post-intervention tests. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: an explicit group, taught about stems and their conservation in derived words; an implicit group, exposed to the same stems and derivatives without explicit teaching; and an unseen control group. At pre- and post-test, the children's spelling of stems in derivatives was assessed. The interventions involved practice games in which the children spelled derived words after seeing the base forms; the explicit group discussed the connection between the spellings, whereas the implicit group did not.ResultsAnalyses of variance revealed that explicit teaching led to more significant spelling improvements than implicit or no teaching, and this effect held at both post-tests.ConclusionsIt was concluded that explicit teaching of the stem conservation rule in derived forms combined with appropriate practice games shows a sustained effect on spelling. The evidence supports explicit teaching of this morphological rule in classroom practice

Cognitive psychology · Linguistics · Mathematics education · Morpheme · Pronunciation · Spell · Spelling · Teaching method · Test (biology) · Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills · Psychology · Reading and Literacy Development · Writing and Handwriting Education

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