The Efficiency of Briefly Presenting Word Forms in a Computerized Repeated Spelling Training

We investigated the efficiency of briefly presenting word forms (visual dictation) over and above word copying in 5 computerized repeated spelling training sessions of Dutch rule-based and loan words in advanced spellers in primary school. Using repeated measures analyses of variance, we compared the effects of 2 spelling feedback conditions in a between-subjects pretest/posttest control group design on growth in spelling accuracy and speed for trained and comparable untrained words. Children in the visual dictation condition (n = 29) had to spell a word from memory after briefly seeing the correct form, whereas children in the word copying condition (n = 30) just had to copy the correct form. In an additional control condition (n = 31), children only received feedback on correctness. We assessed improvement in the reading of trained words and in the reading and spelling of comparable untrained words via pre- and posttest. By the end of the training, children in the visual dictation condition outperformed the control group on spelling accuracy of both rule-based words and loan words (both ps <.001), whereas the word copying group only did so for loan words (p <.001). In contrast to the control group, the word copying group caught up with the visual dictation group on both word types; however, children in the visual dictation group attained higher spelling accuracy earlier during training. We found no differential transfer effects. We can thus conclude that visual dictation was the most efficient way of memorizing spelling representations of both rule-based words and loan words.