Abstract:

The acquisition of reading skills during the early stages of formal education is a critical milestone in children's cognitive and academic development, essential for their full citizenship and participation in society. Furthermore, challenges with early reading are directly linked with future academic issues, potentially impacting performance across multiple domains of the school curriculum. In this regard, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an innovative interactive spelling program on reading acquisition among first-grade children deemed at-risk of developing reading difficulties, while also examining its effects on spelling and phonemic awareness. Out of an initial cohort of 144 first-grade students from four Portuguese primary schools, 53 children displaying low proficiency in letter knowledge and phonemic awareness, identified as at-risk by their teachers, were selected. These children were randomly assigned to three groups, engaging in distinct activities conducted in pairs: an experimental group receiving an interactive and collaborative spelling program, that incorporates contextualized activities and diverse resources (e.g., short films, songs, books, video-clips etc.); a comparison group undergoing a more traditional phonological awareness program involving oral games using images; and, finally, a control group that underwent a word-copying program. The programs comprised 12 sessions lasting 20 to 30 minutes, conducted twice a week. Pre- and posttests encompassed assessments of word reading, word spelling, and phonemic awareness. Statistical analysis revealed that the interactive spelling group significantly outperformed the other groups across all measures, except for the phonemic awareness task, where no significant differences were observed between the spelling and phonological groups. The word-copying group consistently demonstrated the lowest outcomes. Unlike the other two groups, the posttest results of the experimental group also reached the class average in word reading. For ethical reasons, after the final assessments, the control group underwent a version of the interactive spelling program. This study provides empirical evidence supporting the efficacy of collaborative and interactive spelling activities conducted in pairs, suggesting their substantial contribution to reading acquisition and their potential as a valuable pedagogical methodology for proactively addressing challenges in literacy acquisition that can be used and adapted by teachers in their classes.

Keywords:

Interactive spelling program, reading, reading difficulties, literacy.