Word spelling assessment using ICT : The effect of presentation modality
Part of : Themes in science and technology education ; Vol.3, No.1-2, 2010, pages 93-118
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93-118
Abstract:
Up-to-date spelling process was assessed using typical spelling-to-dictation tasks, where children’s performance was evaluated mainly in terms of spelling error scores. In the present work a simple graphical computer interface is reported, aiming to investigate the effects of input modality (e.g. visual and verbal) in word spelling. The software was constructed with the view to measuring both spelling error and production time scores. The main purpose was to not only to examine spelling strategies used by primary school children, but also to provide educators with a useful tool that incorporates ICT technology. Within this framework, teachers could exploit the benefits of computerised spelling assessment and adjust their teaching methods towards a more effective approach of helping children master spelling skills. The results indicate that the presentation format has no impact on accessing abstract word representations, yet it accounts for variations in both time production scores and spelling errors. Spelling in Greek, albeit being a relatively consistent orthographic writing system, seems to pose difficulties to young spellers. Our data suggest that the particularities of the Greek orthography may need to be tackled using other than the standard spelling-to-dictation task used in primary schools. Computer-assisted teaching methods could exploit their flexibility in presenting different input modalities and therefore serve as a useful tool inteaching spelling.
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