Beginning to Spell: A Study of First-Grade Children - Hardcover

Treiman, Rebecca

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195062191 ISBN 13: 9780195062199

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1992

Synopsis

This groundbreaking study on the psycholinguistics of spelling presents the author's original empirical research on spelling and supplies the theoretical framework necessary to understand how children's ability to write is related to their ability to speak a language. The author explores areas in a field dominated by work traditionally concerned with the psychodynamics of reading skills and, in so doing, highlights the importance of learning to spell for both psycholinguists and educators, since as they begin to spell, children attempt to represent the phonological, or sound form, of words. The study of children's spelling can shed light on the nature of phonological systems and can illuminate the way sounds are organized into larger units, such as syllables and words. Research on children's spelling leads directly to an understanding of the way phonological knowledge is acquired and how phonological systems change with the development of reading and writing ability. In addition to this insight concerning cognitive processes, the findings presented here have implications for how spelling should be taught and why some writing systems are easier to master than others. The work will interest a wide range of cognitive and developmental psychologists, psycholinguists, and educational psychologists, as well as linguists and educators interested in psycholinguistics.

About this title

From the Back Cover

This groundbreaking study on the psycholinguistics of spelling presents the author's original empirical research with 43 American first graders. The study supplies the theoretical framework necessary to understand how children's ability to write is related to their ability to speak a language. The author explores areas in a field traditionally dominated by work on reading skills and highlights the importance of learning to spell for both psychologists and educators. Since as they begin to spell, children attempt to represent the phonological, or sound form, of words, the study of children's spelling can shed light on the nature of children's sound systems and can illuminate the way sounds are organized into larger units, such as syllables and words. Research on children's spelling leads directly to an understanding of the way phonological knowledge is acquired and how phonological systems change with the development of reading and writing ability. In addition to this insight concerning cognitive processes, the findings presented here have implications for how spelling should be taught and why some writing systems are easier to master than others. Cognitive and developmental psychologists, psycholinguists, educational psychologists, and linguists and educators will find the work both an interesting and thoughtful discussion of this important field.

About the Author

Rebecca Treiman is Professor of Psychology at Wayne State University. She received an undergraduate degree in linguistics from Yale University and a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on spoken language, written language, and the relationship between them.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0195062191
• ISBN 13: 9780195062199
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384