Assessing Childhood Problems Practical NEP BA - V Semester SEC

DIAGNOSTIC SPELLING TEST

One of the most important aspects of education is, to enhance, improve or justify the ability of every
individual. An important ability related to the learning is known as ‘Spelling Ability’ it means the skill
of reading or writing more and more things in a short time it’s all about skill and actions in educational
field It’s also seems that the lower spelling ability develop anxiety to learn new things and those things
became the barriers of the learning process and block the fulfilment of educational objectives.

Spelling is a very important tool for effective written communication. It (spelling) is the learner’s ability
to write a word correctly from memory. Effective writing depends on effective spelling and so
understanding learner’s spelling difficulties can help teachers support the development of learner’s
writing. Since English language is full of irregularities and Orthographic challenges, it has been
influenced by a myriad of different cultures. Poor spelling skills are associated with limited intellectual
ability in our society and carry a negative stigma. Incorrect spelling is known to affect both writing and
reading capabilities. Lack of spellings skill will make the students avoid uncommon words, resulting in
void of advanced vocabulary and likely fails to please and impress others. Academic performance and
grades will also be affected too, therefore in the field of education diagnostic test is required to assess
the prior performance, learning weakness, difficulties etc of the students. Cook (1999) claims that
spelling errors are the most common type of mistake in the written work of learners of English.
Numerous studies have been made on the kinds of spelling errors made by different group of people.
However, most of the studies have concentrated on older students and adults. Since students begin to
study spelling in the primary grades, their spelling problem also begin in the primary grades. It is
necessary to determine what the spelling problems of primary students are, to help them correct their
problems in the early stages. If the problems of students are recognized in the early stages and given
proper remedy the chances of committing mistakes by them will be minimized to a greater extend.

Those studying English as Foreign Language suffer from serious difficulties with their English spelling
despite the earlier introduction of English in school. English spelling is complex, and it is expected to
pose several spelling difficulties particularly in the early stages of spelling development. The study of
language is itself a great job for the teachers and we should concern about the correct learning and
teaching.

DIAGNOSTIC SPELLING TEST EXPERIMENT

Problem:
To assess the level of performance of the primary school students in English language spelling.

Materials Required:
1. Diagnostic Spelling Test developed by Dr. (Mrs.) Raj. K. Gupta) and Mrs. Susheela Narang
2. Writing materials
3. Norms

Plan:
By using the Diagnostic Spelling Test developed by Dr. (Mrs.) Raj. K. Gupta and Mrs. Susheela Narang
and giving proper instruction, we need to assess the level of performance of the primary school
students in English language spelling. The inventory contains 35 items. The student has to respond for
each item by writing the correct spelling of the item. The responses of the subject must be obtained
and scored to find the level of performance in the English language spelling.

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Assessing Childhood Problems Practical NEP BA - V Semester SEC

Procedure:
Seat the subject comfortably and build a good rapport with the subject. Provide the instructions as
follows: “I shall read a list of words to you. Please listen to each word carefully. After listening to each
word write its correct spelling.” With these instructions dictate the list of 35 words to the subject one
after the other. If the subject doesn’t understand the word, you can repeat it twice. Collect the
response and score it accordingly.

Precautions:
1. Before giving the test, make sure whether the subject has understood what he must do.
2. Show the subject how to respond to the items by giving an example and clarify doubts if any.
3. Before administering the test, create a friendly atmosphere and establish rapport with the
subject. Ensure the subject responds to each statement on the scale.
4. Experimenter should never express their own opinions and should avoid giving cues in their
language, vocal inflection, posture, and facial expressions.
5. Experimenter should not explain questions, misunderstood items should simply be repeated,
and subject should be encouraged to interpret them in their own way.

Scoring and Norms:

The scale consists of a total of 35 words. Each word that is spelt correctly is given a score of 1.

Score Interpretation
31 & above Extremely High
26 – 30 High
21 – 25 Above Average
16 – 20 Average
11 – 15 Below Average
6 – 10 Low
0–5 Extremely Low

Table showing the score and its interpretation as obtained by the subject on the given scale:
Name Score Interpretation

Individual Discussion:

The table shows the individual’s score on the diagnostic spelling test. The subject has obtained a total
score of …….... These scores suggest that the individual has …………... spelling ability. The student needs
to improve the spelling ability and vocabulary usage to learn the English language better. Since
students begin to study spelling in the primary grades, their spelling problem also begin in the primary
grades. It is necessary to determine what the spelling problems of primary students are, to help them
correct their problems in the early stages.

Conclusion & Recommendations:

The scores suggest that the individual has …………... spelling ability.

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Assessing Childhood Problems Practical NEP BA - V Semester SEC

Spelling ability plays a vital role not only in a single literature, but it is also important as it helps to
utilise our creativity and represents our skill, feelings, and other potential globally. In the present
competitive environment, every student needs a good vocabulary stock to compete with others. We
know that every individua does not have all kinds of skills but by taking certain actions and practice
everyone becomes skilled/ expert in the desired field. On the other hand, practice is also needed to
utilize and improve the ability which we have already. Some special strategies to inculcate for fostering
the spelling ability among the students are as follows:
• Writing the words again and again, it will be more helpful to remembering the words or
spelling for a long time.
• By using deductive method one can learn to spell known words first, then increase the level of
difficulty of words to unknown words. It will be helpful to build confidence.
• Using new words and vocabularies in daily conversation or trying to include them during
writing is highly helpful because learning with actions is more effective compared to rote
learning.
• Face to face interaction by the teacher or mentor is more essential for improving spelling
ability and helps to become master the vocabulary better.
More the care is taken at the initial stage, the better and the more solid will be the foundation of
spelling which is very difficult to be improved at a later stage. Based on this experiment, a study can
be undertaken to know relationship between the student ’s spelling errors and their educational
achievement.

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