The write way to spell: printing vs. typing effects on orthographic learning

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Spelling practice generally leads to better orthographic learning than repeated reading.
• The motor component of handwriting (printing) is hypothesized to contribute to this learning advantage.
• This study examines if typing or printing during spelling practice affects orthographic learning and if individual skills interact with practice modality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effects of typing versus printing on orthographic learning in young students.
• To investigate whether pre-existing typing or printing skills interact with the learning outcomes of different practice modalities.
• To contribute to understanding the mechanisms of orthographic learning and inform educational practices.

Main Methods:

• Forty second-grade students learned 10 novel non-words.
• Participants practiced spelling these non-words by either printing or typing.
• Recognition and spelling of the non-words were assessed 1 and 7 days post-practice.

Main Results:

• High rates of orthographic learning were observed, with no significant main effects of practice modality (typing vs. printing) or testing time.
• An interaction was found between pre-existing typing proficiency and the typing practice group, indicating that keyboarding skills influenced learning.
• No similar interaction was found for printing skills within the printing practice group.

Conclusions:

• Both typing and printing during spelling practice support orthographic learning effectively.
• Individual differences in keyboarding skills can modulate the effectiveness of typing-based spelling practice.
• Findings have implications for reading theory and the design of effective spelling instruction in educational settings.