Running head: ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

How Will Engaging Children in Invented Spelling Strategies Increase the Volume of Their
Writing?
Gee Hui Yan, Janice
Pun Jie Zhen Denise
Tan Shuying Diane
Wheelock College

Action Research II
Dr. Charles Carroll
4th October 2016

Abstract

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

The objective of this study was to investigate how engaging children in invented spelling
strategies will increase the volume of their writing. Participants were students aged 5-6 years old
from a local anchor operated preschool centre, who do not practice invented spelling in school.
Writing samples were collected during the 3 pre-intervention and 3 post-intervention tests
conducted before and after 5 intervention sessions respectively. The word counts on the writing
samples were compared. The 5 intervention sessions engaged the participants in activities that
introduced invented spelling strategies such as singing songs, playing word and phonics games,
and forming letters using playdough. Interviews and observations were conducted to find out the
changes in participants views about invented spelling and changes in their writing habits.
Findings indicated an increase in word counts in all participants writing samples, positive
feelings about engaging in invented spelling strategies and a change in their writing habits to
include the use of letter sounds.

Introduction

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

According to Cecil (2011), early writers progress through the stages of invented spelling
through writing the initial consonant sound of a word, to using conventional spelling. Hence, a
balanced and comprehensive literacy program is one that will provide children with opportunities
to engage in invented and phonetic spelling before moving onto conventional spelling. It was
also stated that to become familiar with aspects of literacy, children would need to possess the
knowledge of phonics and be able to apply this knowledge.
Importance of Study and Statement of Problem
The Kindergarten Curriculum Framework (KCF) from the Singapores Ministry of
Education (Ministry of Education, 2012) supports the use of invented spelling in the classroom
as stated throughout the Language and Literacy framework. However, from our own experiences
of working in separate preschool centres as full-time Kindergarten teachers for 2 years, despite
what was stated in the Kindergarten Curriculum Framework (KCF), the curriculum that was
handed to us still required the teachers to get children to copy-write. When visiting other
preschool centers under the same anchor operator, we also realized that none of the centers
required children to engage in invented spelling. Many parents and teachers still insist on
requiring children to be able to spell accurately. This results in children being required to engage
in copy-writing and not invented spelling because many parents want their children to be able to
spell conventionally by 6 years old.
We believe that requiring all 6-year-olds to be able to spell conventionally is not
developmentally appropriate. We have witnessed firsthand in our own classrooms how the
common practice of copy-writing and forcing children to spell conventionally not only stifles
childrens creativity and ideas, it is taking away the love for writing in children. Forcing children
to copy and write outside of a meaningful context is making children dread writing. We believe

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

that writing should be done in a context and that without a context; children do not find joy or
meaning in what they are doing. Through engaging children in invented spelling strategies, they
will not only learn to be accustomed to representing sounds in words through creative
expressions in their own writing, they are taking responsibility for and an active role in their own
learning (Lundblade, 1994). In addition, allowing children to engage in invented spelling will not
hinder their ability to make use of conventional spelling in the future as it is a developmental
process that children will go through (Cecil, 2011).
In the educational field, the study of invented spelling has been researched by many
researchers and remains a topic of interest. In addition, as a future early childhood educator, it is
imperative that the possible benefits of introducing invented spelling strategies in helping
children accept writing and be willing to write more be known so as to effectively support
childrens literacy development in the classroom. This would help inform evidence-based
changes for local early childhood educators in the area of literacy practices in the preschool
classroom and attempt to help local early childhood educators and parents recognize the value in
allowing children to engage in invented spelling. Therefore, in this research study the major issue
investigated would be how engaging children in invented spelling strategies will increase the
volume of their writing.
Research Question
The question that will be guiding our research is: How will engaging children in
invented spelling strategies increase the volume of their writing?
Definitions

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

Invented spelling is defined as prereaders and beginners spelling of words using

symbols they associate with the sounds they hear in words they wish to write (Clarke, 1988, p.
282).
Traditional spelling is defined as the act of spelling conceptualized as a procedural task
in which students are required to focus on, discriminate and consistently reproduce letters of
words in proper order (Nicholson, 1996, p. 10).
Literature Review
Many studies regarding the role of invented spelling in increasing the volume of
childrens writing have been conducted and published in educational journals. Most researchers
believe that invented spelling has the ability to promote an increase in volume in childrens
writing and that the ways in which spelling is taught is crucial to a certain extent to promote
further development and motivate children to write more (Brasacchio, Kuhn & Martin, 2001;
Clarke, 1988; Gill, 1997; Lundblade, 1994; Nicholson, 1996; Richardson & Ruane,1996; Rieben,
Ntamakiliro, Gonthier, & Fayol, 2005). The next few paragraphs will attempt to point out the
several influences that engaging children in invented spelling may have on the volume of
childrens writing and the context in which children should practice invented spelling.
Children Write More When Engaged in Invented Spelling
The belief that there is value in allowing children to engage in invented spelling in their
own writing and that it would help to increase the volume of their writing is mostly agreed upon
by researchers. According to Clarke (1988), when children are encouraged to engage in invented
spelling as a beginning before they become aware of conventional writing, they would pick up
appropriate symbols for sounds and move onto traditional spelling gradually. Kamii & Randazzo
(1985), Lundsteen (1986), Questions Teachers and Parents Ask (1984), as cited by Lundblade

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

(1994) agreed with this stance and stated that invented spelling is a strategy which helps to
convey a written meaning. Thus, invented spelling should be seen as emergent spelling instead of
errors that will have to be unlearned. Children eventually reveal a deeper understanding of the
English language system as they experiment with revising spellings and gradually amend their
initial spellings.
Brasacchio, Kuhn & Martin (2001) conducted a study to determine if children who are
encouraged to engage in invented spelling will produce longer stories with a significant amount
of words being spelled correctly as compared to children who are encouraged to use traditional
spelling. Results of the study indicated that engaging children in invented spelling allows them to
express themselves through using more words in their writing although it does not impact their
abilities to spell more words correctly. This conclusion is further supported by an unexpected
finding that occurred from a study conducted by Gill (1997), who initially hypothesized that
children who are encouraged to engage in invented spelling in their writings would show a
significant increase in their writing abilities as compared to children whose spelling is only
accepted if it is correct. The results from the study was inconclusive in proving the hypothesis to
be right or wrong. However, an unexpected discovery revealed that the group that practiced
invented spelling wrote significantly more words than the group that practiced only accurate
spelling. This could signify and suggest that allowing children to invent their own spelling and
acknowledging their inventions encourages them to write more and enjoy the writing process
more.
Additionally, a study conducted by Nicholson (1996) was done with the intention to
compare the pace of writing of children encouraged to engage in invented spelling to the pace of
writing of children who are encouraged to engage in traditional spelling. The group of children

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

who were encouraged to engage in traditional spelling were more concerned about having the
words spelt correctly while the children who were encouraged to engage in invented spelling
seem more relaxed during the writing process. The results of this study showed that children who
were engaged in invented spelling wrote more words as compared to the group of children who
engaged in traditional spelling. It was also stated that the ideas from the group of children who
engaged in invented spelling flowed more easily as compared to the ideas from the group of
children who used traditional spelling as they were not inhibited by spelling conventions.
Therefore, according to most researchers, allowing children to engage in invented spelling would
increase the volume of their writing, despite the results of these studies showing that it has little
to no effect on the promotion of the ability to spell more words correctly. Consequently, the next
paragraph will discuss what the journal articles reveal about the context in which children should
practice invented spelling.
The Context in which Children should Practice Invented Spelling
Most researchers concur that writing should be done in a context of learning and not as a
test or list that children have to memorize. Nicholson (1996) stated that when the practice of
spelling is presented in spelling lists that are independent of content, childrens focus would be
entirely on the errors of any misspelled words and how it should be corrected to achieve the
correct spellings. However, when children are encouraged to believe that they possess control of
the written words that grow from their own consciousness, they would feel a higher sense of
motivation towards the notion of writing.
Gill (1997) supported this belief and stated that skills should be taught in context of a
learning situation and not be taught in isolation. This means that spelling should not be a skill
that is taught as a spelling test or as a list to be memorized, it should be taught in a way that

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

relates to what was being learnt in the classroom at any point in time. It was also stated that when
children are allowed to make use of invented spelling to produce their own stories and books,
they would delight in writing as they would be writing about a topic that they are interested in. A
research study conducted by Rieben, Ntamakiliro, Gonthier, & Fayol (2005) also provided the
children with a context in which the children wrote the words required of them.
In addition, Armington (1984), Cramer (1978), Lohman (1989), and Walton (1989), as
cited by Lundblade (1994), stated that in an environment which provides children with the
freedom to experiment with letters and sounds as they express their ideas in their writing, as
compared to one where they are preoccupied with the fear of making spelling errors, children
tend to write more easily with a smoother language flow. Richardson & Ruane (1996) also
supported this claim by stating that writing should be a form of self-expression and that when
childrens work containing their original thoughts on their own selected topics, and not any form
of copying or dictation, are accepted, they feel a sense of ownership which makes the writing
process a positive experience for them. Furthermore, it was also stated that when teachers make
meaningful, relevant and stress-free writing a part of the classroom atmosphere, children begin to
have control over their own work and this would promote their intellectual development.
Conclusion
This comprehensive review of relevant educational journals has outlined two important
educational claims and considerations in the area of implementing invented spelling strategies
with children.
The first issue revolves around the method through which children practice writing in
their own classrooms. The educational journals and results from the research studies have all
pointed out that allowing children to engage in invented spelling would increase the volume of

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

their writing. They have also pointed out that engaging children in traditional spelling causes
them to be focused only on accurate and correct spellings of words and they would not enjoy the
writing process as much as if they were engaged in invented spelling.
The second issue revolves around the question of the context in which children should
practice invented spelling. The educational journals have unanimously agreed on the claim that
while invented spelling is beneficial, it should not be done without any context. Children should
be allowed to engage in invented spelling while producing their own books or pieces of writing
that reflect their own original thoughts.
Taken together, the educational journals have provided an abundance of evidence that
shows that despite the belief that engaging children in invented spelling would increase the
volume of their writing, it is important that their invented spelling be done in a meaningful
context where children can engage in self-expression through their writing. We believe that it is
pertinent to carry out a study designed to understand more about the views and thoughts of the
children while concurrently proving that engaging children in invented spelling will indeed
increase the volume of their writing.
Therefore, in light of the literature from the educational journals and with the objective of
securing a more relevant and in-depth understanding of how engaging children in invented
spelling will increase the volume of their writing, we will thus now present our action research
study that was conducted with these two educational claims and considerations in mind.
Methods
Participants
This research study was conducted in a local anchor operated preschool over 11 school
days with a duration of 30 minutes per session between May and August 2016. The research site

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

10

is SPARK accredited and does not engage the children in invented spelling. The research
participants are 13 children who are between 5 to 6 years old. The participants provided their
assent to participate in the research study and also provided suggestions on how future research
studies can be improved through the interview that was conducted at the end of the study.
Variables
The variable that we will be changing in this research study is the writing practice in the
classroom. We have observed that the pre-intervention practices in the classroom required
children to write by memorising words or copywriting. Teachers often spelt words for children
when asked instead of getting children to use their phonological awareness. Hence, our research
study would include introducing some invented spelling strategies such as singing songs, playing
word and phonics games, forming letters using playdough to aid the participants in their invented
spelling practices.
Data Collection Methods
Quantitative data collection method: Writing samples.
During the pre-intervention tests, participants were given the opportunity to choose a
book that would be read to them. After the story, participants were given a booklet for them to
write a story where spellings were provided upon request. The volume of writing during the preintervention tests were used as the baseline data.
The post-intervention tests which were conducted after the 5 intervention sessions are
similar to the pre-intervention tests. However, the spellings of words were not provided to them.
Instead, the participants were encouraged to use the strategies learnt during the 5 intervention
sessions. The volume of writing collected during the post-intervention tests were compared to the

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

11

baseline data. Although most participants spelled their name correctly, name spellings were not
included in the data analysis.
Qualitative data collection methods: Interviews and observations.
An interview with the participants was conducted at the end of the last post-intervention
test. The interview questions aimed to understand more about the views and thoughts of the
children, and how engaging children in invented spelling strategies would increase the volume of
their writing. The participants were asked six questions individually and their responses were
scribed. Responses for Questions 1 (Refer to Table 1) would reveal how they felt about the
intervention sessions and tests. Responses for Question 2 (Refer to Table 1) would reveal which
part of the intervention sessions and tests they enjoyed the most. Responses for Question 4
(Refer to Table 1) would reveal how being engaged in the intervention sessions and tests changed
the way they wrote. Taken together, the responses for these three questions will ascertain how
engaging the participants in invented spelling strategies would increase the volume of their
writing by providing an in-depth understanding of their views and thoughts.
The responses for Questions 3, 5 and 6 (Refer to Table 1) will help to guide us in
planning our future research as we would be able to gather areas of improvement and understand
the research process from the participants point of view. Because the responses will only be used
to help us improve on the methods we would employ in our next research, they will not be
included in the data analysis or report.
Interview Questions
Q1. Did you enjoy the writing session?
Q2. What did you enjoy most about this writing session? Why?
Q3. What would you (want to add?) write about if you had more time?

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

12

Q4. How did the writing sessions change the way you write?
Q5. What do you think will make this writing session more
interesting/enjoyable?
Q6. Can you think of one thing you will change about the writing session?
Table 1. Interview Questions
Observations by the researchers were made during every pre-intervention and postinterventions tests. Researchers observed and noted down the verbal responses of participants
when they expressed the desire to continue writing. At the end of the pre-intervention and postintervention tests, a total of six observations were made. The number of observations made
during the pre-intervention tests were compared with the number of observations made during
the post-intervention tests. Responses that expressed the desire to continue writing were coded
blue while responses that expressed incomplete writings were coded red.
The Intervention Routines
Firstly, after the collection of the informed consent and informed assent forms from the
participants and their parents respectively, the participants took part in 3 pre-intervention tests
and the researchers collected baseline data of the volume of each of their writing. During the 3
pre-intervention tests, participants were required to write a story where spellings were provided
upon request.
Next, after the 3 pre-intervention tests, the participants participated in group intervention
sessions. The intervention sessions for the participants took place for 30 minutes for 5 school
days. After the 5 intervention sessions, the participants took part in 3 post-intervention tests to
measure the volume of writing using their newly acquired invented spelling strategies. The 3
post-intervention tests were conducted the next school day after the last intervention session, one

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

13

week after and three months later respectively to determine if this research study has a long-term
effect on the volume of participants writing.
For the first four intervention sessions, the participants took part in activities that
introduced invented spelling strategies such as singing songs, playing word and phonics games,
and forming letters using playdough. On the last intervention session, they practiced the use of
invented spelling in writing their own stories. After a book was read to the participants, they
were provided with a booklet to write their own story using invented spelling. It is important to
note that the writing samples collected during the last intervention session would not be included
in the data analysis or results. Each session was conducted by the three researchers in a large
group setting, depending on the number of participants who were present at school on each
designated session.
Data Analysis
Our participants have been anonymized and given a code number each, P1 - P13.
Writing samples.
Prior to beginning the analysis process, the writing samples were sorted according to the
pre-intervention and post-intervention tests they were produced from. The researchers then
counted the number of words written on each writing sample from each participant produced on
each test and recorded the word count in a table with the participants code numbers according to
the respective tests they were produced from. After recording all the data into the respective
tables, means for each participant for the pre-intervention and post-intervention tests were
calculated, and represented in a line graph.
Interviews.

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

14

Thematic analysis was the instrument used to collate and analyze our data. The interview
questions 1, 2 and 4 represented three major themes which were Feelings, Components of
Writing Session that Children Enjoyed and Changes to Childrens Writing Habits (Refer to
Table 1).
First, responses from the transcripts of the interviews, which were scribed by the
researchers, were read through thoroughly to identify recurring themes and patterns before they
were paraphrased into keywords and keyphrases. Thereafter, related patterns reflected from the
keywords and keyphrases were combined and catalogued into sub-themes.
For interview question 1, under the theme Feelings, we have categorised it further into
two sub themes, which are Positive and Negative. For interview question 2, under the theme
Components of Writing Session that Children Enjoyed, we categorised it further into five sub
themes, which are Drawing, Colouring, Writing, My Own Story and Reading of
storybook at the start of session. For interview question 4, under the theme Changes to
Childrens Writing Habits, we categorised it further into six sub themes which are Letter
Sounds, Spell Better, I Like to Write Now, I Write More Now, No and Thinking.
The occurrences of the keywords and keyphrases derived from the interview responses
were collated and sorted according to the corresponding sub themes. The total number of
participants who responded in each sub theme is then converted into percentage. This collation is
presented in the form of a table (see Table 4).
Observations.
The raw data collected from the observations done by the researchers during the preintervention and post-intervention tests revealed two recurring patterns and hence, were coded by
colours. Each occurrence of a participant expressing the desire to carry on with the writing after

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

15

the session have ended was coded blue while each occurrence of a participant expressing that
they were not done with their writing was coded red. We collated these occurrences and the
number of occurrences of each color code retrieved from the observations done during the preintervention tests were presented in the form of a table (see Table 5). The number of occurrences
of each color code retrieved from the observations done during the post-intervention tests are
presented in Table 6.
Results
Writing samples
During each of the three pre-intervention and post-intervention tests, the word counts and
means for each participant were collected as shown in Tables 2 and 3. From the analysis of the
data collected, it was evident that there was an increase in word count from the pre-intervention
tests to the post-intervention tests as shown in Graph 1. Although the word counts of some
participants did not increase in a systematic manner during the pre-intervention and postintervention tests, the overall pattern recovered from comparing the means from the preintervention tests to the means from the post-intervention tests still showed an overall increase in
word count for 100% of the participants.

Code no.

Pre-Intervention 1
5 May 2016

Pre-Intervention 2
10 May 2016

Pre-Intervention 3
12 May 2016

Means

P1

P2

10

11

10

P3

18

14

12

P4

30

Absent

41

35

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

16

P5

P6

Absent

15

16

15

P7

P8

P9

28

17

16

P10

Absent

13

Absent

13

P11

14

P12

Absent

P13

Absent

Table 2: Pre-intervention word count

Code no.

Post-Intervention 1
May 2016

Post-Intervention 2
May 2016

Post-Intervention 3
August 2016

Means

P1

18

P2

10

23

25

20

P3

13

21

P4

20

36

58

38

P5

Absent

P6

10

23

27

20

P7

Absent

13

P8

Absent

P9

15

26

13

18

P10

22

16

Absent

19

P11

19

10

P12

10

43

18

P13

14

Absent

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

17

Means of Word Count

Table 3: Post-intervention word count

Participants code number

Graph 1: Means of word count

Excerpt of P4s post-test

Excerpt of P4s pre-test

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

Excerpt of P2s pre-test

18

Excerpt of P2s post-test

Interviews
The results of the interview, which were converted to percentages, are presented in Table
4. From the analysis of the interviews conducted, it was found that 100% of the participants had
positive experiences of the writing sessions. The top two components that participants enjoyed
about the writing sessions were also identified. 76% of the participants mentioning that they
enjoyed the writing component of the sessions and 69% enjoyed writing their own story. The
results of the interview also revealed that the participants made changes to their writing habits
after the intervention sessions, with 69% of participants mentioning that they would now make
use of letter sounds to help them in writing.

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

Themes

Feelings
(Qn 1)

Compon
ents of
writing
session
that
participa
nts
enjoyed
(Qn 2)`

Changes
to
participa
nts
writing
habits
(Qn 4)

Sub themes

P
1

P
2

P
3

P P P
4 5 6

Positive

1 1 1 1

Negative

Writing

P P P P
7 8 9 10

19

P
11

P
12

P
13

TOTAL

%**

1 1 1

13

100%

0 0 0 0

0 0 0

0%

1 1 1 1

1 1 1

10

76%

0 0 0 0

0 1 1

38%

Colouring 0

0 0 0 0

1 0 0

15%

My own
story

1 1 1 0

0 1 0

69%

Reading
of the
storybook
at the
start of
the
session

0 0 0 0

0 1 0

15%

Letter
sounds

1 1 0 0

0 1 1

69%

Spell
better

0 0 0 0

1 0 0

23%

I like to
write now

0 0 0 1

0 0 0

7%

I write
more now

0 0 0 0

0 0 0

7%

No

0 0 1 0

0 0 0

7%

Thinking

1 0 0 0

0 0 0

23%

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

20

Table 4: Analysis of interview responses

*Transformed data
** The percentages are rounded down to the nearest whole number
Observations
As shown in Table 5, the pre-intervention observations illustrated 4 occurrences of
participants expressing the desire to continue their writing and 4 occurrences of participants
expressing that they were not done writing. Comparing the pre-intervention observations with
the post-intervention observations, the results showed an increase in both the desire to continue
writing and expressions of unfinished work, with 7 occurrences of participants desiring to
continue their writing and 5 occurrences of participants expressing that they were not done
writing (Refer to Table 6).

Event Sampling: Pre-intervention test 1

Recorded by: Janice Gee
Code no.

Comments

Frequency/Code

P. 12

Hey, I havent finished*

writing

1 red

P. 5

Can I continue writing**?

1 blue

P. 9

Let me write finish all.

I havent colour yet

1 blue

P. 1

I havent do finish

1 red

P. 8

I scared cannot colour

finish
I havent finish

1 red

P. 5

I havent finish this one yet

1 red

Pre-test 2
Recorded by: Diane Tan

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

Pre-test 3
Recorded by: Denise Pun
P. 8

Huh, I want to write more

1 blue

P. 3

I want to stay in school to

write (supposed to go
outdoors)

1 blue

Table 5: Observation of participants during pre-intervention tests***

Event Sampling: Post-intervention test 1

Recorded by: Janice Gee
Code no.

Comments

Frequency/Code

P. 7

I want to finish this

1 blue

P. 3

I havent finished writing

yet

1 red

P. 13

I want to write one more

page first.

1 blue

P. 2

I want to write some more

1 blue

P. 10

So fast.. But I havent finish

yet

1 red

P. 4

Can I continue this

tomorrow?

1 blue

P. 5

But I havent write finish

yet

1 red

P. 1

I want to write again

tomorrow!

1 blue

P. 7

Can I finish this first?

1 blue

P. 4

Huh Why so fast! I

havent finish!

1 red

Post-test 2
Recorded by: Diane Tan

Post-test 3
Recorded by: Denise Pun

21

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

P. 11

Wait! I havent write finish! 1 red

P. 3

Can I continue?

22

1 blue

Table 6: Observation of participants during post-intervention tests***

Legend:
*Coding Category: They stated that they havent finished writing
**Coding Category: They requested to continue writing
*** Transformed Data
Discussion
The results we obtained substantiate our assumption that the experimental condition of
engaging the participants in invented spelling strategies would produce statistically significant
effects on the word count of the writing samples. Our expectation that engaging them in invented
spelling strategies would increase the volume of their writing was supported by an increase in
word count at the post-intervention tests by 100% of the participants. The results we obtained
from comparing the average word count for each participant on the writing samples collected
during the post-intervention tests to the average word count for each participant on the writing
samples collected during the pre-intervention tests indicated that engaging children in invented
spelling strategies increased the volume in their writing (Refer to Graph 1). In addition, the
results also demonstrated a long-term gain in engaging children in invented spelling strategies.
The word counts obtained from the writing samples collected on the third post-intervention test
did not indicate any decrease in volume and remained consistent when compared to the word
counts obtained from the writing samples collected on the first post-intervention test (Refer to
Tables 2 and 3). It is important to note that the third post-intervention test was done three months
after the last intervention session. This implies that engaging children in invented spelling

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN INVENTED SPELLING STRATEGIES

23

strategies not only increases the volume of their writing, it sustains this increase over a prolonged
period of time.
The results from the writing samples obtained from the current study corroborate those of
Gill (1997). Although the results from the study conducted by Gill (1997) did not prove their
hypothesis to be accurate as it did not indicate any significant difference in the childrens writing
levels between the group that practiced invented spelling and the group that practiced only
accurate spelling, an unexpected finding derived from the results indicated that the group with
the invented spellers wrote significantly more words than the other group. Gill (1997) further
support our claim by stating that this suggests that allowing children to invent their own spelling
and acknowledging their inventions encourages them to write more.
Secondly, the results obtained from collating the interview responses from the
participants revealed how engaging children in invented spelling strategies would increase the
volume of their writing.
The responses for question 1 (Refer to Table 1) of the interview revealed that 100% of the
research participants expressed positive feelings towards the writing sessions/interventions that
they participated in (Refer to Table 4). The responses for question 2 (Refer to Table 1) of the
interview, indicated that 69% of the participants (9 out of 13) felt that the part of each writing
session that they enjoyed most was when they were allowed to write their own stories and 76%
of the participants (10 out of 13) felt that the part they enjoyed most about each session was the
writing (Refer to Table 4). This suggests that when children were allowed to write their own
stories and are engaged in a meaningful writing process, they would enjoy the process and find
joy in what they are writing, thus causing an increase in the volume of their writing.

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Richardson & Ruane (1996) supported this belief when it was stated that by allowing
children to write down their original thoughts on paper without engaging in dictation or copywriting, we are providing the children with opportunities to engage in writing that is meaningful,
relevant and purposeful. Children will take pride and feel a sense of ownership, control and
autonomy over their own work as it is their own form of communication with their own original
thoughts on their own selected topics. The unexpected finding derived from the study conducted
by Gill (1997) also suggested that when children are allowed to make use of invented spelling to
produce their own stories and books, they would delight in writing and enjoy the writing process
more as they would be writing about a topic that they are interested in. This shows that both the
literature and the participants views concur in the conclusion that engaging children in invented
spelling strategies will increase the volume of their writing as the children find joy and meaning
in writing their own stories.
Furthermore, the responses for question 4 of the interview (refer to Tables 1 and 4)
revealed that engaging the participants in the invented spelling strategies caused most of them to
make changes to their writing habits. 69% of the participants expressed that they would now
make use of letter sounds to spell their words. This is a positive response as it shows that
engaging the participants in invented spelling strategies allowed them to apply their knowledge
of phonics into their own writing. As children experiment with inventing and revising spellings,
they are going through the developmental process of initially writing down the sounds they hear
in a word, to gradually using conventional spelling (Cecil, 2011).
Additionally, the results we obtained from the observations collected during the preintervention tests and post-intervention tests substantiate our assumption that there would be
participants who would express the desire to continue writing even after the pre-intervention

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25

tests and post-intervention tests have ended. The use of observation as a form of data collection
was initially included to explain any potential lack in increase in the participants word count by
providing a possibility that there would be an increase in the volume of their writing if more time
was provided. It would help to determine any possible undermining reasons or external variables
which may explain the potential lack in increase in the work count on the participants writing
samples. However, the results obtained from the average word count of each child revealed that
this was inessential as there was an increase in word count at the post-intervention tests by 100%
of the participants.
It should be noted that during the pre-intervention tests, the researchers helped
participants to spell words they wanted when they asked. Whereas during the post-intervention
tests, when the participants asked the researchers to spell words, the researchers redirected them
to the strategies learnt during the intervention sessions and facilitated the invented spelling
process instead of spelling it out for them. The process of redirecting the participants to the
strategies learnt and facilitating takes up significantly more time than spelling out the word for
them. It should be noted that all the pre-intervention tests and the post-intervention tests were 30
minutes each. In spite of this, there was a 23% increase in the participants expressing the desire
to continue writing and a 8% increase in participants expressing that they were not done with
their writing (Refer to Table 5 and 6).
Despite needing more time for redirection and facilitation during the post-intervention
tests, there is an increase in both the number of participants expressing the desire to carry on with
the writing after the sessions have ended and an increase in word count at the post-intervention
tests by 100% of the participants. This further supports the claim that the participants are
enjoying the process of writing more when they are engaged in invented spelling strategies.

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26

Implications
The results we obtained in this study thus support the idea that when children are engaged
in a meaningful writing process, the volume of their writing would increase. At the same time it
is important to draw attention to the principles that guided our research study. We provided
children with facilitation and reminders of the strategies they learnt while they took up an active
role in spelling the words that they needed during the post-intervention tests, thereby leading
them to make use of the strategies when they invented their spelling. The effectiveness of
engaging the children in invented spelling strategies, which is indicated in the positive responses
received in the interviews and the increase in word count for 100% of the participants, suggests
that it would be beneficial to intentionally include the practice of invented spelling in local
preschool classrooms. At the same time, the implementation of these invented spelling strategies
must take into account the context in which the children would be practicing invented spelling.
Being engaged in invented spelling strategies should be a meaningful and purposeful process
instead of having the children participate in invented spelling on spelling tests. With these
findings, preschool teachers need to recognize the benefits and feel that it is crucial to allow their
children to engage in invented spelling strategies as they continue acting as a facilitator for
childrens learning.
Limitations and Future Studies
Due to the time constraint, there were two limitations identified in the current research
study.
Firstly, only five intervention sessions were carried out between the pre-intervention and
post-intervention tests. Due to the lack of time, it was not possible to include more intervention
sessions. Hence, a longitudinal study may be done based on the implementation of more

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27

extensive intervention sessions to introduce and reinforce the invented spelling strategies taught
during the sessions. Gathering childrens writing samples throughout the academic year and
interview responses after they have participated in more sessions and frequently practiced the
invented spelling strategies would provide a better basis for more causal conclusions about how
engaging invented spelling strategies will aid in childrens literacy development.
Secondly, the participants spelling level and current state of literacy development were
not taken into consideration due to the lack of time. Additionally, after conducting the preintervention and post-intervention tests, and the intervention session, we found out that not all
the participants had knowledge of letter sounds. With this in mind, an individualized study that is
built around the spelling level of each participant after taking into account his/her current state of
literacy development would be developmentally appropriate and it would provide a more
effective and valid study of the effects of the invented spelling strategies.
Conclusion
The research study presented herein provides evidence of the importance of including
invented spelling strategies as a means of increasing childrens volume of writing, and helping
children accept writing and be willing to write more. This study also demonstrates that the
inclusion of invented spelling should be done in the context of a meaningful writing process.
This research study also provides a more in-depth understanding of how children view
and feel towards the process of being engaged in invented spelling strategies and the practice of
using invented spelling in their writing. It shows that both the literature and the results collected
in this study concur in the conclusion that engaging children in invented spelling strategies will
not only increase the volume of their writing and make positive changes in their writing habits by

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promoting the use of letter sounds in their spelling, it also increased the childrens desire to write
and helped them enjoy the process of writing more.
Taken together, we hope that this research study provides local preschool educators with
a basis to make more informed decisions about including the practice of invented spelling in
their classrooms.

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References
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Influence Conventional Spelling Development? Retrieved from
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Cecil, N. L. (2011). Striking a balance: A comprehensive approach to early literacy. Scottsdale,
AZ: Holcolm Hathaway.
Clarke, L. K. (1988). Invented versus Traditional Spelling in First Graders' Writings: Effects on
Learning to Spell and Read. Research in the Teaching of English, 22(3), 281309.
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Gill, D. A. (1997). The Effectiveness of Encouraging Invented Spelling: A Research Study.
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