The Effect of a Sounding-Out Step for Cover-Copy-Compare on Spelling Word Acquisition

Cover-copy-compare (CCC) is a self-managed intervention that relies on modeling, opportunities to respond, and corrective feedback to improve spelling. Refinements to CCC have been investigated to maximize its effectiveness and efficiency. One such refinement is the addition of a sounding-out step (CCC+SO). Because research investigating CCC+SO has yielded inconsistent results, the current study sought to further examine CCC+SO while addressing some of the methodological limitations of previous studies. An alternating-treatments design was used to compare CCC and CCC+SO on the cumulative number of spelling words acquired with three 2nd and 3rd graders. Participants practiced spelling words using CCC and CCC+SO and demonstrated considerable growth in spelling performance from baseline to intervention; however, there was little difference in cumulative spelling words acquired across conditions. Implications for practitioners and researchers, limitations, and future directions are discussed.