Spelling matters too!

Spelling is often viewed as a skill that develops incidentally while reading, with no need for explicit instruction (Treiman, 2018). Yet empirical evidence suggests, like reading, that explicit instruction leads to better spelling outcomes (e.g., Graham & Santangelo, 2014; Treiman, 2018). Further, theoretical models suggest that spelling ability is a key component of learning to read (Heintzman et al., 2023; Ehri, 2014; Perfetti & Hart, 2001) and that instruction in spelling improves reading skill (for review see Graham & Santangelo, 2014).

The studies Dr Conrad will present explore the relation between spelling and reading skill, testing theoretical predictions as to potential mechanisms underlying this relation. The first set of experimental studies examine the role of orthographic regularities in transfer of skill between reading and spelling individual words. Overall, transfer of orthographic knowledge from spelling to reading is greater than from reading to spelling, debunking the idea that spelling is best learned incidentally through reading. Using a mixed methods approach, the second set of studies explore the distal relation between spelling skill and reading comprehension. While some of these studies are a work in progress, preliminary results demonstrate that spelling skill relates to reading comprehension through supporting the establishment of high-quality lexical representations in memory that support fast and efficient word reading.

The talk will end with a brief discussion of how this information can be implemented into a structured literacy approach to reading instruction.

Speaker biography

Dr Nicole Conrad is a full professor in the Department of Psychology and (Acting) Associate Dean of Science at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada. She is the Vice-President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading, helping to promote evidence-based practice in literacy development and instruction. Her research is funded through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and focuses on the cognitive processes underlying how children learn to read and the ecological factors that create barriers to that learning.

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