Detecting a Problem Is Half the Battle: The Relation Between Error Type and Spelling Performance

Spelling: Processes and strategies in print and computer formats.

“…However, it has been found that spellers' detection rates differed significantly from their correction rates (Plumb, Butterfield, Hacker, & Dunlosky, 1994). This difference was particularly observed in the case or morphological errors, but not observed in the case of phonological errors (Figueredo & Varnhagen, 2004). For example, Figueredo and Varnhagen (2004) noted that it was easier for spellers to correct morphological errors (e.g., extention) than to detect such errors.…”

“…This difference was particularly observed in the case or morphological errors, but not observed in the case of phonological errors (Figueredo & Varnhagen, 2004). For example, Figueredo and Varnhagen (2004) noted that it was easier for spellers to correct morphological errors (e.g., extention) than to detect such errors. Thus, failure to use correction knowledge for the detection of misspellings has been linked to the difference between types of spelling errors.…”

“…Thus, failure to use correction knowledge for the detection of misspellings has been linked to the difference between types of spelling errors. One explanation for these findings suggests that spellers are able to deduce the correct spelling of words that they have been told are misspelled beforehand via mechanisms that process phonological information and even guess the spelling of words (i.e., processing deficit hypothesis; Figueredo & Varnhagen, 2004). Conversely, other researchers provide evidence that detection and correction of misspellings are different processes and require different skill sets (Fitzgerald, 1987), probably associated with development (e.g., increased phonemic awareness, Treiman, 1991).…”

“…As such, one can find phonologically based errors (i.e., phonologically legal sequences with an unconventional appearance such as incredibul), orthographic errors (i.e., orthographic sequence very similar to the conventional spelling such as eligeble), and morphologically based errors (i.e., misspellings representing the incorrect morpheme such as defensable). Because error categories are not necessarily mutually exclusive they are viewed as operating on a continuum of orthographic sophistication (Figueredo & Varnhagen, 2004;Varnhagen, McCallum & Burstow, 1997). It is precisely the orthographic error category that contains misspellings that are most similar to the conventional spellings of the words.…”

“…To accurately write specific words, spelling demands access, retrieval, and correct reproduction of the appropriate features of the words (Berninger et al, 1998b). Nevertheless, lack of attention (Figueredo & Varnhagen, 2004, or error blindness, and/or low degree of clarity in the mental representations accessed can also disrupt either access or retrieval of the word's representations. In this case, spelling as a general process is disrupted and the discrepancies between the three types of errors become less pronounced (Butterfield, et al, 1996).…”