Republic of the Philippines

EULOGIO AMANG RODRIGUEZ

INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cavite Campus
Graduate Program

Word Study and Spelling Patterns: A Proposed Intervention

in Teaching Grade 5 Pupils with Spelling Difficulties

In partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the Masters of Education
Major in Administration and Supervision

HEIDEE L. LUNA
MAEd - AS

CHAPTER 1
The Problem and Its Background
Introduction
Teachers know that one of the things pupils dislike the most
is studying for a spelling test. Memorizing spelling words can be
boring, and oftentimes pupils tend to forget how to spell the
words soon after the test is over. Classroom games incorporating
spelling provide pupils with a fun way to learn words, they help
pupils remember words over a longer period of time, and they give
pupils an understanding of how words are formed. Incorporating
classroom games about spelling into your weekly schedule will not
only reinforce words that pupils need to learn, but they will
also reinforce good spelling study habits.
Many teachers teach spelling by giving pupils a list on
Monday and a test on Friday with practice in between.
This

type

of

drill

and

practice

has

earned

traditional

spelling instruction a reputation for being boring. That there is

no

big

picture

and

no

ultimate

goal

makes

it

all

the

more

tedious. As soon as one spelling list is tested, another list

takes its place.

Now

there

is

an

alternative

to

traditional

spelling

instruction called "Word Study," which is not based on the random

memorization

of

words.

word

study

program

is

cohesive

approach that addresses word recognition, vocabulary, and phonics

as well as spelling (Zutell, 1992).

Theoretical Framework
Constructivist theorist believe that pupils bring with them
prior knowledge to assist in new learning situations and that
pupils

construct

their

own

knowledge

based

upon

the

prior

knowledge (Williams, 2014). When learning to spell, pupils are

required

to

understanding

call
on

upon
the

their

rules

vocabulary

and

sounds

are

involved

and

their

within

their

verbal language before they are able to construct a written

language.
Likewise,

before

we

can

learn

how

to

spell

we

need

to

understand the connection between the phonemes and graphemes of

our

language.

together

to

Phonemes
make

refer

words,

to

while

the

sounds

graphemes

that
are

are
the

strung
written

representations of these sounds that make up written language. In

other

words,

we

need

to

have

prior

knowledge

of

English

orthography and its elements including the alphabet as well as a

base vocabulary.
This notion is supported by Ehri and Soffer (1999) who
maintain that beginners must be able to apply what they know
about the alphabetic system when they read and spell. They also
state of reading and spelling that was working knowledge of the
alphabetic system is an essential tool. Hammond (2004) states
that

proficient

spellers

are

self-directed

but

heterogeneous

group who appreciate that spelling is a rule governed activity

and draw on their knowledge of orthography to problem solve
spelling by applying personally meaningful strategies.
Yeong and Rickard (2011) reiterate this by stating that
spelling,

like

reading,

involves

vocabulary

knowledge

and

temporary memory process, as well as metalinguistic.

Similarly, the Phase Theory tendered by Ehri (as Cited in
Ehri & Soffer, 1999) suggests that pupils require a working
knowledge of the alphabetic system grows and changes as beginners
acquire word reading and spelling skills.
Ehris Phase Theory purports that pupils develop reading and
spelling skills through four phases, the pre-alphabetic, partial
alphabetic, full alphabetic, and consolidated alphabetic (Ehri,
2005)

The Pre-Alphabetic stage (cited in Ehri & Soffer, 1999) is

where children use images or non-alphabetic, visually salient
cues. During the Partial Alphabetic stage begin to process some
letter-sound cues in words to read and spell them. It is within
this phase that pupils begin to use letter names and distinguish
how the first and last letters of words correspond to the sounds
in pronunciations although medial letters are ignored because
they are buried in words and hence are harder to detect as
sounds and because readers lack much knowledge of the vowel
spelling system. (Ehri & Soffer, 1999)The next phase of Ehris
theory is known as the Full Alphabetic phase where pupils control
a more complete knowledge of graphophonemic relations that is
utilized to create more complete depictions of the spelling of
words within their vocabulary while also assisting in decoding
new words. At the same time, words that contain similar sounds
are

consolidated

into

larger

units

representing

blends

of

phonemes. The final stage, the Consolidated Alphabetic stage,

occurs where consolidated units are added to their alphabetic
knowledge and are used to read and spell words, particularly
multisyllabic words. This theory is compatible with the spelling
sequence listed by Winch, Ross Johnston, Ljungdahl Holiday &
March (2010) that offers the following developmental stages.
1. Recommunicative letters/symbols are strung together randomly

2. Pre-phonetic: alphabet letters are recognizable and spelling

is attempted by sounding out words
3. Phonetic Stage: one syllable spelling patterns and syllable
combinations
4. Transitional

Stage:

the

spelling

of

meaningful

parts

of

words (morphemes)
5. Correct Spelling
An alternative theoretical approach that can be seen within the
school system is that of the instructivist approach. This style
of teaching focuses on the information or knowledge that is
external to the pupil and, as such, the pupil requires direct
instruction of in order to learn (Williams, 2014). This style of
teaching commonly includes activities such as explicit teaching
and drill-and-practice among others (Churchill et al., 2013). The
use of basal spelling lists, rote and repetition are all methods
that are employed within the Instructivist approach. Supporters
of this methodology purport that conventional spelling books are
useful tools, that if used appropriately, are an efficient and
reliable way to teach the spelling system (Schlagal, 2002)
Many theorists see the benefits of each of these approaches
with

some

theorists

stating

that

one

method

of

teaching

is

superior to the other. While the constructivist theory helps with

understanding
combined

the

method

processes
that

involved

takes

into

in

learning

account

the

spelling,

Instructivist

approach is reported to be a very effective method for teaching

spelling and vocabulary. Hammond (2004) gives an example of the
combined approach by stating that a teacher who bases weekly
word

lists

on

errors

in

pupils

writing,

words

that

are

structurally unrelated but thematically based and words from the

same word family can be inferred to be following a combined
approach.
Similarly, a teacher who emphasizes the spelling of words in
the context of language in all subjects throughout the day, but
also allocates a set time each day for spelling lessons, is
combining approaches.
In terms of practical spelling tuition, Alderman & Green
(2011)

state

that

pupils

should

learn

spelling

through

the

meaningful writing experiences and that using spelling words to

write messages to others, make lists, develop plans, make signs,
write letters to friends and family, make greeting cards, and
write

songs

writing.

They

and

poems

also

helps

stated

children

that

make

teaching

meaning

spelling

through
words

in

isolation takes away their relevance for pupils and reduces their

motivation

for

wanting

tolearn.

Conceptual Framework
INPUT

Grade 5 English
Teachers who
will adopt the
proposed
intervention on
Spelling

PROCESS

Proposed
Intervention on
Spelling:
Word Study
Spelling Patterns

OUTPUT

Effectiveness of
the propose
intervention on
Spelling for
Grade 5 Pupils

Feedback
Figure 1. Conceptual Paradigm of the study
Finally, from the output block, the researcher hopes to come
out with validated proposed intervention in teaching Grade 5
pupils with spelling difficulties.
Statement of the Problem
Specifically, it aimed to answer the following questions:
1 How do Grade 5 Teachers and School Administrators assess the
1.1
1.2
1.3
2

proposed intervention in terms of:

presentation
objectives
content
Is there a significant difference as to the above mentioned
variables?

3 After the seminar, training and workshop on word study and

spelling patterns, how suitable, feasible, and acceptable is
the

proposed

difficulties?

Hypothesis

intervention

for

pupils

with

spelling

This

study

hypothesizes

that

there

is

no

significant

difference on the use of the proposed intervention for spelling

difficulties as to presentation, objectives, and content in the
District of Carmona, Silang and GMA.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

The scope of the study covers the effectiveness of the
proposed intervention in teaching Grade 5 pupils with spelling
difficulties in the District of Carmona, Silang and GMA, School
Year 2016-2017.
The researcher mainly focused on word study and spelling
patterns which could be used to help Grade 5 pupils with their
spelling difficulties.
There were two groups of respondents in this study. The
first group was the Grade 5 English Teachers in the District of
Carmona and the second group was the Grade 5 pupils in the Public
Elementary Schools in the District of Carmona, Silang and GMA.

The venue of the study was the elementary schools in the

District of Carmona, Silang and GMA and this study was conducted
during the School Year 2016-2017.

Significance of the Study

Focusing on spelling holds back the creative process of
writing and that pupils will naturally develop spelling through
reading, this study will be significant to the following:
DepEd

Officials.

This

study

may

serve

as

one

of

their

reference materials in the formulation of dynamic and relevant

in-service

training

programs

for

teachers

handling

English

subject.
Curriculum

Planners.

The

curriculum

planners

will

gain

significant input from this study since they will know how to
improve the spelling skills of Grade 5 pupils in public schools.
Administrators. The school administrators can use this study
as a guide in supervising the technique used by the English
teachers in teaching spelling and to help them develop the skills
of their teachers in improving strategies in teaching spelling.

Teachers.

The

Grade

teachers

traditional

technique

in

teaching spelling will die out and extinct. Teachers will use
creative way of teaching pupils with spelling difficulties.
Pupils.

Grade

pupils

will

be

able

to

improve

their

spelling skills.
Parents. The parents of the school children will be aware of
their childrens difficulties in spelling. Their awareness would
make them give closer attention and have better understanding of
their childrens studies.
Researcher. This study may serve as a reference tool for
further research studies.

Definition of Terms
The

following

terms

are

defined

theoretically

to

enable

readers understand the study better.

Classroom

Games.

This

refers

to

the

games

teacher to make her lesson more fun and interesting.

used

by

the

Orthography. This refers to the study of symbols in written

language.
Phonemic awareness is a subset of phonological awareness in
which listeners are able to hear, identify and manipulate
phonemes.
Phonemes. This refers to the smallest unit of speech that
can be used to make one word different from another word.
Self

Correction.

This

refers

to

when

learners

correct

themselves instead of teachers who will correct them.

Spellers.

This

refers

to

person

who

spells

words

especially in a certain way.

Spelling. This refers to the forming of words from letters
according to accepted usage.
Spelling Consciousness. This refers to the state of being
aware on the correct spelling of a word.
Spelling

Inventory.

This

refers

to

list

of

words,

with

increasing difficulty, created to represent a variety of spelling

features and patterns use to assess pupils level of development.

Word sorts. This refers to vocabulary-development tasks and

word-study activities that require grouping similar words into
categories as determined by their sound, pattern, or meaning
Spelling Patterns. This refers to an intervention used to
help pupils in spelling through word families.
Spelling

Performance.

This

refers

to

level

of

spelling

skills / ability of a pupil.

Spelling Consciousness. This refers to the state of being
aware on the correct spelling of a word.
Word Study. This refers to an alternative to traditional
spelling

instruction.

It

is

based

on

learning

word

patterns

rather than memorizing unconnected words.

Chapter 2
Review of Related Literature
Word

study

instruction

can

provide

pupils

with

vital

knowledge which they can then apply to the task of comprehending

text. The nature of word study will vary with the developmental
needs

of

students

and

the

demands

of

the

text.

teachers

knowledge of the structure of English is an important factor in

optimizing word study instruction; equally vital is the ability

to present the study of spelling, vocabulary and word choice in a
manner that engages pupils and entices them to explore words on a
deeper level.
Local Literature
The importance of spelling has been questioned in recent
years,

as

word

processing

programs

are

equipped

with

spell

checkers, and some educational reformists have suggested that

focusing on spelling holds back the creative processes of writing
and that students will naturally develop spelling skills through
reading.
Learning to spell helps cement the connection between the
letters

and

their

sounds

and

learning

high-frequency

sight

words to mastery level improves both reading and writing. The

correlation between spelling and reading comprehension is high
because both depend on a common denominator: proficiency with
language. The more deeply and thoroughly a pupil knows a word,
the more likely he or she is to recognize it, spell it, define
it, and use it appropriately in speech and writing. The major
goal

of

the

English

writing

system

is

not

merely

to

ensure

accurate pronunciation of the written word it is to convey

meaning. If the words that sound the same (e.g., rain, rein,

reign) were spelled the same way, their meanings would be harder
to differentiate.Susan Jones (2012)

Foreign Literature
Literature

reveals

that

"Children

in

schools

today

can

usually read better than they can spell" Barbe, Francis, & Braun,
(1982).

There are several reasons for such a finding. Barbe et al.

believe

that

programs

that

one's

spelling

teachers

ability

participate

is

in

due

that

to

the

training

emphasize

reading

strategies and place less emphasis on spelling. As a result,

Barbe et al. believe, "Teachers who are not familiar with the
literature

devoted

to

spelling,

base

their

instruction

on

tradition than on results of spelling research".

Many adults spelling was separate from learning to read or
from developing vocabulary. Individuals in the past learned how
to spell through the traditional method of rote memorization
because that was how teachers taught spelling. Instruction often
remained tied to older spelling programs that relied on Monday to
Friday memorization of conceptualized lists of words, or, in
contrast, relied too much on individual learning and teaching.
Often, teachers taught spelling in the same manner as their
previous

teachers;

therefore,

beliefs

and

practices

around

spelling were difficult to change. Asselin (2001)

A linguist at the University of Wisconsin, was one of the
first

researchers

to

examine

how

children

learn

to

spell.

used

their

Hodges(1984).
Read

studied

how

four

to

eight

year

olds

knowledge of the sounds in spoken English. Read's study involved

20 preschool children who were able to identify and name the

letters of the alphabet and relate the names of the sounds of
words. His study revealed that "Even at an early age children are
able to detect the phonetic characteristics of words that English
5 spelling represents" Furthermore, Read noticed that even though
young children misspelled most of the words they attempted, they
misspelled the words in the same way. Read (1984)
According to Masterson and Crede (1999), "The development of
spelling skills is not random, but rather evolves in stages".
These stages have been described by researchers such as Ehri
(1987), Gentry (1982), Bourassa & Trieman (2001), and Henderson
(1990). The developmental sequences described by Ehri and Gentry
consist of three stages. Henderson's system is slightly more
elaborate and includes five stages of spelling, progressing from
non-symbolic

scribbles

to

correct

spellings.

According

to

Masterson and Crede (1999), children pass through the following

stages in acquiring conventional spelling: 1. Preliterate stage:
Writing consists of scribbles, drawings, and some letters. During
this

stage,

differentiation
(i.e.

writing

phonemic
skills

children
between
from

awareness.

improve

and

develop
writing

early
and

concepts

pictures,

top-to-bottom),

2.

stage:

children

employ

the

as

directionality

right-to-left,
Letter-name

such

Phonemic

alphabetic

and

basic

awareness
principle,

representing each sound in the target word by a letter. Invented

spellings are based on names (i.e., phonetic similarity between
target sounds and the names ofletters. For example, because iii
and IV are closely related phonetically, children will often
substitute

the

letter

(pronounced

Iii)

for

target

words

containing the III, such as in pig or sit. Many sight words are
spelled

correctly

during

this

stage.

3.

Within-word

patterns

stage: Orthographic patterns, such as those governing the use of

short and long vowels, are learned. In addition to the pattern
principle, children simply begin to employ the pattern by meaning
principle (e.g., spelling the past tense morpheme as -ed). 4.
Syllable juncture stage: Use of the doubling principle (i.e.,
doubling the final consonant of a syllable containing a short
vowel before adding a suffix) and attention to patterns present
in

unstressed

and

stressed

occurs.

5.

Derivational

constancy

stage: Spellers come to know roots and their derivations and use
this knowledge consistently. Masterson & Crede (1999)
"Inspired by Read's research, Beers and Henderson examined
first- and secondgrader's writings for developmental changes in
spelling". Ganske (1999)
Their results confirmed Read's observations that children
progress through spelling in stages. For example, they move from
"letter-naming" to "within-word patterns." "Henderson's initial

outline for progression was later refined and extended through

the work of Templeton and Schlagal (1999)
Templeton then looked at older students' understanding of
base words and their derived forms, and Schlagal examined how
children's error types changed as they moved from sound-letter
(letter-name stage) and sound-pattern (within-word pattern stage)
in primary grades to more complex levels of pattern and meaning
in the upper grades. "His results furthered the argument that
spelling unfolds along developmental lines and underscored the
importance of teaching and studying words in ways that emphasize
their invariant features". Ganske (1999)
Furthermore, in a study conducted by Treiman, "The stages of
acquisition

appear

to

characterize

spelling

development

regardless oflanguage ability". Treiman (1999)

Treiman's study of spelling acquisition in children with
dyslexia showed that although these children lagged behind in
their development, their errors were indistinguishable from other
children.
Study

of

adult

literacy

learners

compared

to

classroom

children, "Adults and children's spelling skills do develop in a

similar

fashion,

and

that

they

both

follow

pattern of spelling acquisition". Bardine (1997)

developmental

Viise studied 195 children and 124 adult literacy learners

by examining their spelling errors and noticed that "Children and
adults showed similar mastery in recognizing single consonants,
single end consonants, and short vowel inclusions". Viise (1997)
However, adults had a difficult time marking syllables in words
and had a strong tendency to leave out vowels in their spellings
compared to children. Another difference was that adults tended
to leave off or change simple suffixes such as -en, -er, -ed, and
--es, a problem that rarely occurred among children. "Adults did
seem to excel in understanding prefixes and suffixes, although
this did not alter their pattern of spelling acquisition. Also,
adults had a higher rate than children of mastery of certain
spelling features, including -ar, -er, and -or endings, -ed and
-ing

endings,

and

contractions"

(Bardine,

1997,

p.

2).

When

looking at syllable junctures of intact words, adults performed

better than children at separating and spelling words such as
"message."
simple

Bardine's

features

study

before

reveals

difficult

that

students

spelling

must

features

master
can

be

mastered. This belief supports the findings of researchers such

as Read (1986), Henderson and Beers (1980), Masterson and Crede
(1999), that one's spelling skills develop in stages and not just
randomly. "For instance, students in both age ranges generally
learned and understood single-beginning and consonant endings

before they were able to master double consonants or double

consonant clusters". Bardine, (1997)
The literature supports that adults and children's skills
develop in stages, but does their perception oftheir ability to
spell

influence

test

scores?

According

to

questionnaire

designed by Rios and Yadon, students who perceived themselves to

be good spellers were in fact good spellers (Rios, 2000). A
questionnaire was developed to measure the following: 1. How much
time was spent on reading. 2. Whether reading was considered as
masculine or feminine by the genders. 3. Whether or not they
considered themselves good spellers (Rios, 2000, p. 23). Their
findings revealed that those who scored highest on the spelling
test

also

claimed

to

have

read

more

than

two

hours

day.

"Ninety-five percent of the females indicated that reading is a

feminine

activity"

(p.

13).

When

writing

was

compared

with

reading, "Seventy-five percent of the females considered writing

a masculine activity" (p. 13). Interestingly, "[Ofthe] thirtyfive

percent

spellers,

of

sixty

the

males

proved

to

that
be

considered

correct.

Forty

themselves
percent

of

good
the

females thought of themselves to be good spellers and 1 00% of

that forty was correct" Rios, (2000)
In a study conducted by Hughes and Searle (2000), spelling words
correctly mattered to the good spellers, for "they understood

from

an

early

age

that

spelling

played

part

in

how

they

presented their writing and how their readers received it" (p.
205). They did not wish to be seen by others, including their
teachers, as poor writers or poor spellers. As a result, they
tended

to

take

personal

responsibility

for

monitoring

and

correcting their writing before it was seen by anyone. This

characteristic distinguished the good spellers from the less able
spellers. 10 "The contrasts were striking between behaviors and
attitudes around writing and spelling amongst the good spellers
and those of the children who were excellent, active readers, but
who had stalled in their spelling" (Hughes & Searle, 2000, p.
206). For instance, children who were excellent, active readers
disliked writing and preferred to read or do other activities. In
addition,

these

students

did

not

write

with

the

personal

engagement of the good spellers. Their writing lacked evidence of

risk-taking in plot and vocabulary that one might expect from
such good readers. Many of the students saw editing as someone
else's responsibility rather than their own. As a result, these
children were generally weak at recognizing misspellings even
though they were good readersperhaps because they avoided selfediting. These students who were excellent, active readers also
overestimated which of the spellings were correct. For example,
one student in the study was sure that nineteen of her sixthgrade dictated words were correct, in fact, only four were. Even

when they did recognize a misspelling, they were reluctant to

generate alternatives. These particular students believed that
"Spelling is more arbitrary than systematic, a matter of learning
each

individual

word

rather

than

generalizing

across

words".

Hughes & Searle, (2000)

Furthermore, these students relied on sound alone as their
determining logic for spelling words correctly. As a result, they
encountered problems when they needed to integrate sound with
graphic or meaning considerations. For example, one student wrote
the words "responsible" and "responsibility" correctly, but then
wrote "irrisponsibility". She was aware of the meaning link;
however, that information was overridden by differences in sound.
Apel (2001)
He points out that "Students who struggle with spelling may
develop a poor sense of self as a language user and learner". As
a result, these students avoid writing longer writing samples
with

complex,

multi-morphemic

words

in

an

attempt

to

avoid

appearance of being a poor speller or as a result of it. "Safe

writers, who write short, well structured pieces with little or
no

risk

spellers

taking

in

because

choosing
of

the

choosing". Stewart (1988)

words
level

might
of

appear

to

communication

be

better

they

are

Therefore, because their work is free of misspellings, they

might be evaluated as being "good spellers." However, children
are not the only ones who experience these feelings. According to
Abell (1994), "Many adults in Britain feel unhappy with their
spelling". They believe that the way words are spelled is a
reflection of the culture of a language; therefore, if they are
unable to spell accurately, they feel that they are less cultured
than those who do. Furthermore, spelling is seen as an indication
of status and education. "Those who are not good at spelling
often feel embarrassed about their lack of skill and are unhappy
about allowing others to see what they have written".As a result,
they may be reluctant to write at all. Abell, 1994
"Spelling frustrates not only the poor speller but also the
teachers and language specialists".
For

teachers

and

students,

spelling

is

considered

necessary but altogether disliked component of the curriculum due

to the gap between effort and results that is frequently seen.
The question that seems to arise among teachers is how much of
spelling is "taught" and how much is "caught"? Those on 12 the
"caught" side of the fence believe that spelling will develop
naturally in a literacyrich environment. "They point out that
some of the spelling 'skills' taught (e.g., schwa) are not used
even by good spellers and that such instruction is not only

boring,

but

fails

to

transfer

to

text-level

writing".

Scott

(2000).
On the other hand, those who believe in spelling instruction
point to the lack of evidence for and confidence in naturalistic
methods. Nevertheless, literature supports that "poor spelling
negatively

affects

teacher

evaluations

of

writing,

even

when

content and structure are controlled". Scott, (2000)

Perceptions
researchers.

For

of

spelling

example,

"In

have
1980,

also

been

Venezky

reflected

noted

that

in
few

cognitive scientists showed an interest in spelling processes and

only a handful in the last decade have been suggested that this
topic was worthy of serious investigation" Kamhi & Hinton, 2000.
Kamhi and Hinton suggest several reasons for this lack of
respect. "One reason centers on the scientific privilege given to
spoken language that has a rich tradition in linguistics". In
addition, very few linguists are interested in studying spelling,
perhaps because many view it as a literary convention or a school
subject, rather than a scientific problem of language. Another
reason for its neglect has been "the deceptive simplicity of
spelling". Spelling is often viewed as a minor problem that is
correctable with spell checkers or clerical assistance. A third
factor contributing to spelling's lack of respect is that it has

been viewed as a visually-based process rather than a languagebased process.

"Little evidence has been found for the importance of non
linguistic factors such as visual memory. Individual differences
in spelling ability are primarily caused by differences in the
knowledge and use of sound- 13 spelling information rather than
differences in some nonlinguistic factor" (p. 48). Poor spellers
may

rely

heavily

on

visual

strategies

only

because

phonological knowledge is limited. Kamhi and Hinton (2000)

Local Studies

their

A journal written by Josh Weinstein discussed the

Text Messaging also has an impact on spelling proficiency of
students. A study was conducted to determine the correlation
between

spelling

proficiency

of

texters

and

non-texters

of

selected students of Aldersgate College Science High School. The

researchers

conclude

that

texting

habits

affect

the

decling

spelling proficiency of pupils, text languages often confuse the

pupils with correct spelling of the words leading to usually
misspelled words. Baento & Esquejo (2010)
A

journal

written

by

Josh

Weinstein

discussed

the

relationship between education, poverty alleviation, and economic

development. According to him, one way to help children who has
difficulties in learning English especially spelling is micro
finance. Filipinos tend to be illiterates if they do not know how
to read and write) this is sometimes due to poverty. He added
that

some

poor

Filipinos

blame

the

government

for

lack

of

support. Weinstein (2011)

Every teacher that Ive spoken to fully appreciates MTBMLEs
promise of genuine literacy. For these teachers, teaching a child
to read in a language that he or she already knows is really a
no-brainer. Yet these same teachers find it frustrating that they
cannot move forward as much as they would like because they do

not have the reading materials they need. (Butch Hernandez 2012)
In her piece How Spelling Supports Reading, Louisa Moats,
a literacy research and professional development expert, explains
that research has shown that learning to spell and learning to
read rely on much of the same underlying knowledgesuch as the
relationships between letters and soundsand, not surprisingly,
that spelling instruction can be designed to help children better
understand
Moats

that

adds:

key

knowledge,

Research

also

resulting

bears

out

in

better

strong

reading.

relationship

between spelling and writing: Writers who must think too hard
about how to spell use up valuable cognitive resources needed for
higher level aspects of composition. Even more than reading,
writing

is

deployment

mental

of

basic

juggling
skills

act
such

that
as

depends

on

automatic

handwriting,

spelling,

grammar, and punctuation so that the writer can keep track of

such concerns as topic, organization, word choice, and audience
needs. Poor spellers may restrict what they write to words they
can spell, with inevitable loss of verbal power.
At present, the Department of Educations DO 16 identifies
12 mother-tongue languages as learning areas, namely Tagalog,
Kapampangan,

Pangasinense,

Iloko,

Bikol,

Cebuano,

Waray, Tausug, Maguindanaoan, Maranao and Chabacano.

Hiligaynon,

This order further outlines two teaching models. Model 1 calls

for the use of one of the 12 mother tongues as the medium of
instruction in Kindergarten and Grade I. Model 2 calls for the
use of the prevailing lingua franca as the medium of instruction
in cases where there are three or more mother tongues spoken by
groups of pupils in a class, or there are variations of the
lingua franca without an approved orthography.

The present study investigated the sentence-level errors of

freshmen students at three proficiency levels and the aspects of
writing that raters focused on while rating the essays. It views
errors as valuable information for the following: For teachers,
as it clues them on students progress; for researchers as it
gives

them

valuable

data

as

to

how

language

is

acquired

or

learned; for learners, as it enables them to reflect on their

learning. The data for the present study is based on the data
collected for a previous study. One hundred fifty essays written
by freshmen college students on their first week of classes in
five private schools in Metro Manila (30 for each participating
school) were collected, word-processed, and subjected to rating
and coding or errors. Most of the findings of the present study
corroborate the findings of previous studies on error analysis
and

essay

evaluationthat

sentence-level

errors

have

significant role in essay scores. The raters still have the

grammar accuracy model when checking essays, although it is just
considered secondary to other aspects of writing such as the
ability to address the prompt and organize the ideas logically.
Gustilo and Magno (2012)
A

research

report

was

also

presented

to

the

faculty

of

the

College of Education at the Central Philippine University, Iloilo

City

on

Factors

Associated

with

the

English

Proficiency

of

Elementary Pupils. Based on the data collected by the researcher,

data shows that data correlate with English Proficiency of the
respondents. Female pupils perform better in English than male
pupils. She also recommends parents to encourage their children
to read, especially reading materials written in English. She
added that reading will help improve pupils ability to observe
proper grammar and reading comprehension. The more the children
read, the more their abilities in English improve. Solis (2013)

Foreign Studies
Focused spelling instruction has also been shown to have an
impact on reading comprehension. Roberts and Meiring examined the
effects

of

first

grade

reading

comprehension.

spelling
A

instruction

significant

on

advantage

fifth
was

grade

noted

in

reading comprehension for fifth grade students who, in first

grade, received phonics instruction through spelling as opposed
to informally through literature. As pupils progress in their
spelling development, they also need to develop morphological
awareness.

Morphology

refers

to

how

words

are

structured,

including base words, prefixes, suffixes, plurals, possessives,

past tense markers, etc. Reed found that morphological awareness
makes a significant contribution to reading comprehension for
children in Grades 4 through. Scott (September 2010)
Although spelling instruction is sometimes thought of as a
subject area that no longer needs to be taught, research has
provided

insightful

and

valuable

information

to

suggest

otherwise. Katherine A. Davis, (2011) emphasized that spelling is

an integral part to the literacy process and that when pupils
know

how

readers

to
and

spell

words

writers.

they

are

Curriculum

better

and

materials,

more

confident

specifically

in

literacy, have changed in the past 20 years to offer more lesson

ideas, reading material, and student activities to aid teachers

with their lessons. While some of these materials prove helpful

and beneficial, researchers need to take a critical look at the
curriculum materials to determine if best practices and current
research models are being implemented. Furthermore, she analyzed
the

text

to

determine

if

multiple

learning

strategies

and

differentiated instructional approaches which were presented in

order

to

meet

the

needs

of

diverse

learners.

Curriculum

materials need to be continually examined, since they play such a

large role in lesson development as well as the cost of the
programs for states and districts adoptions. Davis (2011)
An

action

research

was

conducted

on

improving

students

spelling in English in Quatari -Arab. The researcher concluded

that improving the students accuracy in English spelling will
enable the students meet their goals and offer more opportunities
for successfully responding to the high-stakes exam they are
currently preparing themselves for. Adams-Stavri (2011)
A synthesis of studies conducted with developing readers in
the lower elementary grades concluded that integrated decoding
and encoding instruction led to significant gains in phonemic
awareness,5 alphabetic decoding, word reading, spelling, fluency,
and comprehension (Weiser & Mathes, 2011). The authors believed
this might be due to the spelling instruction fostering a closer
attention to the details of words orthographic representations.

A research was also conducted to improve students English

ability through concentration game and tell a story game. The
research highlighted the low spelling ability of students that is
caused by (1) uninteresting activities in learning English; (2)
the students difficulties in spelling English words; (3) the
students low motivation in learning. The researcher concluded
that

conduct

of

various

games

could

make

the

students

more

enjoyable to study English especially reducing their burden to

join activities. She also included that various interesting games
could improve the students English spelling ability. Nurhayati
(2012)
Providing young children with rich writing experiences can
lay a foundation for literacy learning. Sonia Q. Cabell (2013)
Word

study

provides

students

with

opportunities

to

investigate and understand the patterns in words. Knowledge of

these patterns means that students needn't learn to spell one
word at a time.
Of course, for every rule there are exceptions that threaten
the rule. Students learn, though, that spelling patterns exist
and that these patterns help to explain how to spell, read, and
write words. Diane Henry Leipzig (2013)

Adults often learn to spell words during the course of

reading for meaning, without intending to do so. We used an
incidental

learning

Spellings
doublets

that
in

task

contained

French,

in

order

to

study

this

double n, r and t which

were

learned

more

readily

process.

are

common

by

French

university students than spellings that contained less common but

still legal doublets. When recalling or recognizing the latter,
the

students

sometimes

made

transposition

errors,

doubling

consonant that often doubles in French rather than the consonant

that

was

as tidunnar).

originally
The

results,

doubled
found

in

(e.g., tiddunar recalled

three

experiments

using

different nonwords and different types of instructions, show that

people use general knowledge about the graphotactic patterns of
their writing system together with word-specific knowledge to
reconstruct

spellings

that

they

learn

from

reading.

These

processes contribute to failures and successes in memory for

spellings, as in other domains. Sebastien Pacton (2014)
Three experiments used homophones as a test case to examine
the roles of phonology and morphology in the spelling process. A
major influence on spelling production thus appears to be the
lesser effort that is required to use a familiar whole-word
orthographic form compared to that needed for assembling a novel
spelling. Rebecca Treiman (2014)

Learning to spell is not simply a memorizing words but in

large measure a consequence of of developing cognitive strategies
for dealing with English. J. Richard Gentry (2015)

CHAPTER 3
Methodology
This study presents the research design, the population of the
study, the research tools, procedures of data and gathering, treatment

of the data and statistical tools used in the interpretation of the

data.

Research Design
The

study

employed

descriptive

method

of

research.

The

descriptive method is appropriate for gathering information on the

effectiveness

of

the

proposed

intervention

on

the

spelling

difficulties of Grade 5 pupils.

Population and Sampling
Table 1 presents the population of the respondents in the
District of Carmona, Silang and GMA.
District

Total Number of
Grade 5 Teachers

Total Number of
Principals

23
30

9
46

Total Number
of District
Supervisor
1
2

45
98

8
53

2
5

Carmona District
Silang District
(1&2)
GMA District
Total
Research Instrument

The main instrument used in this study was a questionnaire. The

first

part

of

the

questionnaire

focuses

on

the

profile

of

the

respondents.
The second part of the questionnaire draws information on the
Grade 5 pupils in the District of Carmona, Silang and GMA and the
possible reasons on the difficulties in spelling which could be a

basis on the implementation of the proposed intervention in spelling

difficulties.

Data Gathering Procedures

The following procedures were undertaken by the researcher in
conducting her study.
1. Development of the instrument to be used in the study.
2. Ask help from the thesis adviser in checking and finalization of
the instrument.
3. Preparation of letter of intent to be presented to the Schools
Division Superintendent to administer the survey questionnaire in
the District of Carmona, Silang and GMA.
4. Through the request letter, ask permission from the District
Supervisor and School Principal to undertake the study.
5. Distribution of questionnaires to the nine public Elementary
schools in the District of Carmona.
6. Administration of questionnaires to the respondents.
7. Sorting and consolidation of the collected data.
8. Computation and interpretation of the data gathered.
9. Preparation of the Development Plan.
10.
Development of the instrument for the Acceptability.
11.
Administration of the questionnaires for the Acceptability.
12.
Consolidation of the result for the Acceptability
13.
Seeking some suggestions from the adviser for the
development of the study.
14.
Finalization of the study.

Statistical Treatment of Data

The data gathered were compiled, collated and summarized

separately per group. The responses for each item were categorized
based on the specific problems raised.
The following were utilized in the treatment of data:
1. Frequency. It is the actual response to a specific item/question
in the questionnaire where the respondent checks his/her choice.
This was used to describe the characteristics or profile of the
respondents.
2. Percentage. This was used as descriptive statistics or something
that describes as part of the whole. This is also used in
presenting the profile of the respondents.
3. Weighted Mean. This was used to measure the respondents
assessment to answer sub-problem no. 4.

The following is the formula:

Formula:
WM

(f1x1) + (f2x2) + (f3x3) + fnxn

N

The assessments provided by the respondents were interpreted

by using the 5-point Likerts Scale Method. The concept of the
boundary of numerals used the following scales.

Scale Range
5

4.20 5.00

Verbal
Interpretation
Excellent

Symbol
(E)

4
3
2
1

3.40
2.60
1.80
1.00

4.19
3.39
2.59
1.79

Very Satisfactory
Satisfactory
Poor
Needs Improvement

(VS)
(S)
(P)
(NI)

4. Ranking. This was used to reinforce the percentage to show the

proportional importance of an item considered. It was also used
to determine the gravity of the problems encountered.
5. t-Test of Significant Differences between two Means. This was
used to determine whether or not significant difference exist
between the assessments of the English teachers and pupils. It is
solved using this formula. It is the statistical tool used to
answer the sub problem no. 2 and 3.

Formula:

t =

2
N D 2 ( D )

Where:
t = t-Test
D = sum of differences