Elissa_Stern_Action_Research_Project__EDGR_698

Concordia University Page 1 of
32
CAPSTONE PROJECT DOCUMENTATION FORM
Action Research is an exciting, disciplined process of discovery designed to integrate
theory into one’s daily practice in a way that improves educational practices and the
individual conducting the research. Action Research is the Capstone Project in the
Master’s of Education program for Concordia University online. It gives the educator,
as a scholarly practitioner, the opportunity to examine relevant issues in his or her
own classroom or school which may complicate, compromise, or complement the
learning process—and to find meaningful, practical, research-based answers.
In Action Research, teachers are empowered to design a research-based plan, identify
learning issues or problems, review relevant literature that examines identified
problems, implement specific, research-based strategies, and discover convincing
evidence that supports or contravenes their teaching strategies. The most exciting
part of Action Research is the teacher can often observe student improvement during
the project and can demonstrate, in a quantitative manner, the improvement of
student learning. Sagor notes, “Seeing students grow is probably the greatest joy
educators can experience” (2002, p. 5).
The steps to the Capstone Project are detailed below. Read through all of the steps
before creating your implementation plan. Save this form as a draft until all
Action Research steps have been completed and all responses are
documented. You will submit this form at different stages of completion
throughout EDU 698.
ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT
Name: Elissa Stern
Title of Project: Name Writing Ability and Invented Spelling Knowledge
Date Completed: December 8 , 2014
IMPLEMENTATION TIME FRAME:
Number of weeks: One week
TIMELINE of ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT:
Start Date: November 17 2014

2
NAME WRITING ABILITY AND INVENTED SPELLING KNOWLEDGE
32
End Date: November 21 2014
AREA OF FOCUS: What is your chosen area of focus? Why did you choose this area? How does it
directly impact you?
The area of focus for this Action Research Project is the relationship between name writing proficiency and invented
spelling knowledge of prekindergarten aged children. The researcher has observed that young children are particularly
motivated to learn how to write their names. They enjoy seeing their names displayed in the classroom, and show
preference for the individual letters that comprise their names. The researcher has also observed that children who have
strong proficiency in name writing also demonstrate better letter knowledge and invented spelling skills. Children who
struggle to spell their names tend to find invented spelling activities challenging. As invented spelling is one important
way to measure phonological awareness, the researcher sought to determine whether name writing proficiency is a
predictor of phonological knowledge and emergent literacy skills.
RESEARCH QUESTION:
Is there a correlation between name writing proficiency and invented spelling knowledge in journal writing?
DEMOGRAPHICS
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA: Where/What is the research site? Who is directly involved? What statistics
will give a clear understanding of the context and culture of the research site? (Do not use name as an
identifier.) Provide references for sources used.
The research site is a small private preschool within the Southwest. The school serves infants and young children age
12 weeks to 6 years old. A part time afterschool care program serves twelve children ages 6 through 12. The current
enrolment is approximately 175 students. The school has one infant class,two young toddler classes,two older toddler
classes,two transition classes,two preschool classes,and two prekindergarten classes. There are two teachers per
class. Class size is limited to state ratios. There are five part time assistant teachers who assist in all classrooms.
Specialists include a Spanish teacher,music teacher,and piano and percussion teacher. There is one administrative
assistant, one assistant director, and one school director. The school employs one fulltime chef and one fulltime
housekeeper. The staff is loyal and loving. Most teachers have been on staff for longer than two years. One staff
member has been employed for over ten years. Annual tuition means that the school serves affluent families. No
families receive tuition assistance. The school receives no monies for Title 1 or free or reduced lunches. Parent
presence is a daily occurrence at this school, with many attending field trips and helping with classroom parties,
fundraisers, or teacher supply wish lists. Five staff members have their own children enrolled at the school. Teachers
and parents interact with one another as family. There is a warm, supportive feeling throughout the school.
Participants in the action research study were fourteen prekindergarten aged children. There were ten girls and four
boys. Participants were 71% Caucasian,21% Asian American, and 7% Hispanic. Participants were between the ages of
54 and 60 months. All participants were from high SES families and had been enrolled in the school for two years or
more.
TARGET GROUP: Who are the students you are trying to impact? (Do not use names - you must use
another identifier.) How do you think this strategy or content focus will benefit the target group?
In this study, the researcher in attempting to impact the phonological knowledge of prekindergarten aged

3
32
children. Prekindergarten aged children are exposed to a wide variety of name writing activities through the
school day. Children are also exposed to their name very often in print while in the classroom. As young
children begin to acquire new knowledge about the written language, their names become a natural focus.
Children show preference for the letters in their names, and make strong connections between new
vocabulary and literacy concepts with letters from their own names. Prekindergarten teachers use invented
spelling activities to support letter-sound knowledge in young children, often through free writing or
journaling activities. The experimental nature of these activities strengthens understanding of the sound-
symbol relationship. During this study, prekindergarten children will be asked to write their names before
completing invented spelling tasks. The researcher will determine whether name writing proficiency is
correlated to invented spelling skills. The researcher hopes to support the inclusion of name writing and
invented spelling activities in the classroom. Letter of the day activities based on a letter in a name can help
children understand the relationship between letters and letter-sounds. The researcher believes that children
can strengthen phonological knowledge by detecting the individual sounds in words that spelling represents
through journaling activities.
BASELINE DATA: What are the baseline data that support your choice for this area of focus? What
patterns or trends do you see in the data? What is your proof that an issue exists in this focus area? (NOTE:
You may not depend solely on Standardized Test Scores.)
Levin, Both-de Vries, Aram, & Bus (2005) determined that the unique motivation children have to learn to
write their own name “stimulates their interest in writing” (Levin, Both-de Vries, Aram, & Bus, 2005).
Teachers understand that the special interest children have in their name energizes them to explore letter
names, letter sounds, and print concepts, and make new learning connections with phonological knowledge.
Pre-kindergarten children write their names frequently throughout the school day, and are exposed to their
name in print on cubbies, desk plates, art work, lunch bags, seating and nap charts, and attendance logs.
Teachers frequently use name-writing activities in the prekindergarten classroom. Many teachers incorporate
a letter of the day activity based on the first letter of a child’s name. Children use magnetic letters and
sensory materials to form the letters in their names, as well as practicing writing their names on paper.
Children develop knowledge about both letter knowledge and letter-sound relationships in these lessons.
These teachers also frequently include invented spelling in journal writing in the classroom. Invented
spelling requires children to segment and identify individual phonemes in a word, and write the word in their
literacy journal.
Over the course of teaching prekindergarten aged children throughout the past fifteen years, the researcher
noticed that children who lacked strong name-writing ability often had weak phonological knowledge.
During the fall of this year, the researcher began documenting examples of poor name writing and invented
spelling knowledge. Observation notes concluded that in a classroom of 16 students, four children who
struggled to identify and write the letters in their names also had difficulty with invented spelling activities.
These children also demonstrated difficulty with identifying letter sounds. Documenting by the researcher
also reported that children who demonstrated strong invented spelling skills displayed excitement and
interest in literacy journal activities that included invented spelling, and were proud to display their work in
the classroom. Observation notes by the researcher also showed that independent bookmaking activities were
more frequent with children with strong name writing and invented spelling proficiency that among children

4
32
with poor name writing ability. An examination of student portfolios revealed the correlation between name
writing ability and invented spelling knowledge. Four children who were observed with poor name writing
ability produced work which included evidence of incorrect letter writing and por phonological segmentation
in invented spelling.
ACTION PLAN
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN: What is your plan to implement the strategy or content knowledge? How did
you collaborate with other staff involved with this issue?
The researcher met with the class co-teacher to gain their support and discuss data documentation strategies.
The co-teacher reviewed three data gathering instruments and gave feedback for the researcher. The overall
goal of the project, academic and behavioral expectations, and the role of the prekindergarten students was
discussed. The researcher considered the opinions of the co-teacher highly and sought her opinion to
determine how the results of the research would affect future class activities as they related to name writing
and invented spelling ability.
PROCEDURES & MEASURES: What are the steps you will follow? How will you measure student
progress?
1. On day one, the researcher will meet with each child in a quiet corner of the classroom and ask each child
to write their name on a sheet of plain white paper.
2. On day two, the researcher will meet with each child in a quiet corner of the classroom and administer the
Alphabet Knowledge Assessment (Lakeshore Learning, 2014). This assessment is designed to measure
letter-name and letter-sound knowledge. The assessment is designed to take between five and ten minutes to
complete.
3. On day 3, the researcher will meet with each child in a quiet corner of the classroom and administer the
Letter Sound Short Form Assessment (Piasta, Phillips, Williams, Bowles & Anthony, 2013). This assessment
is designed to measure letter sound knowledge.
4 On day 4, the researcher will meet with each child in a quiet corner of the classroom and administer the
Test Of Invented Spelling (Mann, Tobin & Wilson, 1987). This test is designed to measure phonological
awareness through the invented spelling of fourteen words.
5. On day five, the researcher will collect and review one invented writing sample obtained from student
portfolios. Also on day five, the researcher will measure student progress by reviewing the name writing
sample obtained on day one and the results of the three assessments administered during days 2 – 4.
DATA COLLECTION: What data will be collected? How often? What tools will be used? Copies of tools
will go in appendixes.
The researcher will collect data on the following:

5
32
1. Name writing ability, through a writing sample given by each student.
2. Letter-name knowledge, through the Alphabet Knowledge Assessment (Lakeshore Learning, 2014).
3. Letter sound knowledge, through the Letter Sound Short Form Assessment (Piasta, Phillips, Williams,
Bowles & Anthony, 2013).
4. Phonological knowledge through The Test Of Invented Spelling (Mann, Tobin & Wilson, 1987).
IMPLEMENTATION: (Describe the actual implementation of your plan.)
Week 1: Monday:
The researcher collected and organized assessments for each participant. The researcher created folders
containing all documents necessary for collecting data.
Monday – Friday:
The researcher asked participants to write their names on a blank sheet of white 8.5 x 11 copy paper.
Week 2: Monday – Friday
The researcher observed all participants in their classroom as they completed activities incorporating writing,
including one journaling activity that included invented spelling.
Monday – Thursday:
The researcher completed assessments for each participant. Assessments included the Alphabet Knowledge
Assessment (Lakeshore Learning, 2014), the Letter Sound Short Form Assessment (Piasta, Phillips,
Williams, Bowles, & Anthony, 2013) and the Test of Invented Spelling (Mann, Tobin & Wilson, 1987).
Friday:
The researcher completed observation notes and journal entries, and compiled data from all assessments.
DOCUMENTATION OF ADJUSTMENTS: How did the plan change during the course of the Action
Research timeline? What prompted the change? What were the effects of the changes?
The researcher’s plan did not change during the course of the Action Research timeline.
ANALYSIS & REPORTING
REPORTING RESULTS: What are your results and how will you share them? How does the baseline data
compare to the ending data? What is the story told by your data?
Results indicated that while name writing ability is strongly correlated to letter-name recognition, it is not
predicative of invented spelling knowledge.
All participants were able to correctly write their names. Some children (43%) were also able to write their

6
32
last name correctly as well. Name writing was scored based on letter formation, letter order, letter size, and
directionality. All participants used correct letter formation, appropriate letter size, correct letter order, and
left to right directionality.
Data from the Alphabet Knowledge Assessment (Lakeshore Learning, 2014) indicated that the majority of
participants were able to recognize and correctly name each letter of the alphabet, including both upper and
lower case. The highest score possible on this assessment was 52. The mean, or average, score was 45. The
mean score was 45, while the mode was 52. The interquartile range was 5.5. This assessment clearly proves
that the overwhelming majority of participants were able to correctly name each letter.
Data from the Letter Sound Short Form Assessment (Piasta, Phillips, Williams, Bowles & Anthony, 2013),
designed to measure letter sound knowledge, shows that some participants were able to correctly identify
letter sounds. The highest score possible on this assessment was 70.82. The mean, or average, score on this
assessment was 59.87. The median score was 68.69, while the mode was 70.96. The interquartile range was
22.305. The researcher believes that this data might show that name writing ability is not connected strongly
enough to letter-sound knowledge to be able to conclude that children who know how to write their names
also know their letter sounds.
Data from the Test Of Invented Spelling (Mann, Tobin & Wilson, 1987), designed to measure phonological
awareness through the invented spelling of fourteen words, provided a compelling argument that name
writing ability is not connected to invented spelling knowledge. The highest score was 56. The mean, or
average, score on this assessment was 29. The median score was 28, while the bimodal mode was 12 and
28.5. The interquartile range was 20.75. Results from this assessment show that name writing ability is not
correlated to invented spelling knowledge.
To summarize all data from the assessments completed by participants, the researcher believes that name
writing ability is strongly correlated with letter knowledge, slightly correlated with letter-sound knowledge,
and not correlated to invented spelling knowledge. These assessments provide a valuable argument that early
childhood educators should include all letters of the alphabet when creating early literacy activities in
curriculum, especially those that involve phonics, or letter sounds. In studies that examine the role of name
writing, researchers argue that the emotional connection young children have to the letters in their name
might provide a special opportunity for educators to foster emergent literacy skills based on name-letter
recognition. Teachers can include activities that are based on the letters of a child’s name, but should refrain
from making these activities the primary focus of early literacy.
IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE: How will the results impact your teaching in the future? How did the
project inform your decision-making as a professional?
The researcher plans to use this information to develop lessons that focus on letter-sound knowledge in the
pre-kindergarten classroom. Prior to the study, the researcher had included a minimum of five weekly
activities based around the letters in a child’s name, such as having children write their names on a daily
attendance sheet, circling specific letters in their names, identifying a word beginning with a letter in their
names, and matching word wall words to letters in their names. Creating opportunities for emergent literacy

7
32
activities that focus on the entire alphabet is a future goal of the researcher.
It was hoped that the researcher would discover a strong connection between name writing ability and
invented spelling knowledge. The results did not support this conclusion. Moving forward, the researcher
will focus more on teaching children to make new learning connections with phonological knowledge in
invented spelling activities based on all letters of the alphabet. Invented spelling encourages children to
experiment with segmentation in print, and supports understanding of the relationship between speech
sounds and letter representation. The researcher believes that invented spelling is a valuable opportunity for
children to experiment with segmentation and phoneme knowledge. Children can practice detecting the
individual sounds in words that spelling represents by creating lists, letters, signs, stories, song, poems, and
journaling. The researcher might also help students develop invented spelling skills through the use of
magnetic letters, games that explore sound and rhyme, and building words with sensory materials such as
Play-Doh.
CONCLUSIONS: Did this study improve student performance? Explain. Did this study improve your skills
as a teacher? Explain.
The research project sought to determine the relationship between name writing proficiency and invented
spelling knowledge of prekindergarten aged children. The project began with observations that young
children were particularly motivated to learn how to write their names. The researcher has also observed that
children who struggled to spell their names tend to find invented spelling activities challenging. As invented
spelling is one important way to measure phonological awareness, the researcher sought to determine
whether name writing proficiency is a predictor of phonological knowledge and emergent literacy skills. The
researcher conducted four assessments to determine if name writing ability was connected to letter
knowledge, letter-sound knowledge, and invented spelling knowledge. At the conclusion of the study, data
demonstrated that name writing ability was not strongly correlated to invented spelling knowledge. Data
showed that children who were able to write and spell their names correctly understood letter names, and
most had letter-sound knowledge. However, the majority of children had limited invented spelling
knowledge. The researcher plans to use this information to create regular opportunities for children to
practice invented spelling, particularly through journaling activities based on meaningful experience. For
example, the researcher might ask children to write one invented spelling sentence about their favorite
birthday memory; part of a field trip; or family vacation. Professional development time should also be given
to researching methods to expand letter-sound knowledge among prekindergarten children.
REFERENCES:
Levin, I., Both–de Vries, A. C., Aram, D., & Bus, A. G. (2005). Writing starts with own name writing: From
scribbling to conventional spelling in Israeli and Dutch children. Applied Psycholinguistics, 26, 463–
477.
Lakeshore Learning (2014). Alphabet knowledge assessment. Retrieved December 8 2014 from
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/media/images/free_resources/teachers_corner/printables/alphaasse

8
32
ssment.pdf
Piasta, S.B., Phillips, B.M., Williams, J.M., Bowles, R.P., & Anthony, J.L. (2013). Measuring young
children’s alphabet knowledge: Development and validation of brief letter sound knowledge
assessments using item response theory. Retrieved December 8, 2014 from
http://ccec.ehe.osu.edu/files/2014/05/Letter-Sound-Short-Form-Assessment1.pdf
Mann, V.A., Tobin, P., & Wilson, R. (1987). Measuring phonological awareness through the invented
spellings of kindergarten children. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 33, 365-89.
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS:
The researcher chose to focus on emergent literacy for this action research project, and after completion, is
more determined to prioritize emergent literacy skills in the prekindergarten classroom. It is critical that
young children have opportunities to experiment with print and language in order to build phonological
awareness. Activities that are personally motivation and delightful to children, such as rhyming games,
syllable clapping, and journal writing including invented spelling, help children acquire understanding of
letters and associated letter sounds. The researcher is eager to channel energy into emergent literacy
activities that include invented spelling, and guide young children towards developing the skills necessary to
become strong readers and writers.

9
32
Name Writing Ability and Invented Spelling Knowledge
Elissa L. Stern
Cortland University-Portland
An Action Research Report Presented to
The Graduate Program in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree of Masters in Education
Concordia University
2014

10
32
Name Writing Ability and Invented Spelling Knowledge
Name writing has been described as a crucial step towards a child’s emergent literacy skills,
demonstrating awareness of print, letter-sound knowledge, and understanding of important literacy concepts
such as directionality. Phonetic knowledge begins from the letters of a child’s own name, with no regard to
what those letters are. Invented spelling is an important skill associated with letter knowledge and phoneme
awareness in pre-readers. The specific question to be addressed in research is: (1) Is there a correlation
between name writing proficiency and invented spelling knowledge?
Literature Review
A child’s name forms the most meaningful of all experiences young children will have with print. A
name is part of a child’s psychosocial identity, signifying who and what they are. It also identifies a child as
a person distinct from others in their family and social circle. Exposure to a name in early childhood is
unique, in that it occurs frequently in both oral and written form. Children are exposed to their name very
often in print, especially in the preschool setting. On any given day, children see their names on cubbies, coat
hooks, seating charts, art work, attendance lists, and lunch bags. They are also asked to write their names
frequently throughout the school day to delineate their work as their own. As young children begin to acquire
new knowledge about the written language, their names become a natural focus.
Knowledge about writing is developed from an early age. Young children enjoy scribbling, and when
asked to write excitedly make marks on paper with crayons and other writing implements (Pinnell &
Fountas, 2011). As young children gain strength in fine motor ability and alphabetic knowledge, their writing
progresses from scribbling to mock letters to letters of random size and order to letters of conventional
representation. Children are especially motivated to write their own names. Name writing has received a
great deal of attention from researchers examining emergent literacy skills, likely because names are among
the first words that children learn to write. Emergent literacy refers to the gradual developmental process a

11
32
child moves through before reading acquisition occurs. Though most research has concluded that there is a
strong correlation between name writing ability and emergent literacy knowledge, some argue that name
writing ability is not a guarantee of letter-sound knowledge (Byrne, 1998). For example, the first letter or
complete spelling of the child’s own name is often memorized as a logogram, or a group of symbols that
represent words. Children might be able to memorize the sequence of letters in their names, but not have any
meaningful understanding of the individual letter sounds that compose their names.
Phonemic and Phonological Awareness
Phonological awareness refers to the ability of a young child to understand the sound structure of
language (Mattingly, 1972). Most educators know that phonological, or phonemic, awareness and letter
knowledge are important factors in determining future success in learning to read. Phonemic awareness is the
ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words. Before children learn to read
print, they need to become more aware of how the sounds in words work. Rog (2011) argues that “the ability
to hear, distinguish, and replicate the sounds in words, also known as phonological awareness, is a
foundation on which reading is built” (Rog, 2011, p 52.) A child with strong phonological awareness should
be able to recognize and use rhyme, break words into syllables, blend phonemes into syllables and words,
identify the beginning and ending sounds in a syllable and see smaller words within larger words (ie. “hat” in
“that”.)
Phonological awareness is built around knowledge of phonemes, or the individual identifiable sounds
that compose words. Phonemes are the “smallest units of sound that can change the meaning of a word”
(Rog, 2011, p 52.) For example, the letters h-a-t in the word “hat” are phonemes. The spelling of a word, or
letter sequence, forms the phoneme sequence. The terms phonological awareness and phonemic awareness
are not interchangeable. Phonemic awareness is a subset of phonological awareness. Phonemic awareness
occurs exclusively at the sound level, and does not include awareness skills at the word or syllable level.

12
32
Learning to read begins with knowledge of phonemes – becoming comfortable and familiar with them.
Before children learn to read and write they must first understand how the sounds in words work. They must
understand that our words are made up of speech sounds before gaining the ability to define sounds and
syllables in words.
There are many ways to teach phoneme knowledge and phonemic awareness that are fun for children.
“Phonemic awareness can be integrated into nearly component of a literacy program” (Rog, 2011, p 53). The
primary goal is to help children listen for word parts and sounds by engaging them in reading and oral
language activities. It is natural for children to experiment and play with word sounds. Many young children
can be overheard inventing their own rhyming words in sing-song while playing, proving that they are
curious about language and phonemic patterns. Building on a child’s curiosity in discovery through games,
songs, chants and rhymes is an effective and enjoyable way to develop phonemic awareness. Activities that
increase letter-sound knowledge should be entertaining, delightful, and enjoyable for young children.
The Relationship Between Name Writing and Emergent Literacy Skills
In this literature review, the relationship between name writing ability and emergent literacy skills is
examined. Empirical evidence shows that the interest children have in their printed names serves as a link to
constructing new knowledge about emergent literacy skills. Levin, Both-de Vries, Aram, & Bus (2005)
determined that the unique motivation children have to learn to write their own name “stimulates their
interest in writing” (Levin, Both-de Vries, Aram, & Bus, 2005). Young children prefer the letters in their
own names compared to other letters of the alphabet (Hoorens, Nuttin, Herman & Pavakanun, 1990). Not
only do children show more interest in the letters contained in their names, but they make stronger
connections to unknown receptive vocabulary words that include letters from their own names. The
emotional connection young children have to the letters in their name might provide a special opportunity for

13
32
educators to foster emergent literacy skills based on name-letter recognition. Teachers may create activities
that encourage children to search for letters from their names in guided reading activities, shared poem study,
or simple finger play song lyrics.
Name Writing As Predictor of Reading Achievement
In a study focusing on emergent literacy skills of Dutch preschoolers, Both-de Vries and Bus (2003)
discovered that more than half of letters written were from a child’s first name. Bloodgood (1999) found
significant correlations for name writing with word recognition and letter production among four and five
year-olds. The special interest children have in their name energizes them to explore letter names, letter
sounds, and print concepts, and make new learning connections with phonological knowledge. While
examining the relationship between name writing and phonological awareness among preschool children,
letter-sound knowledge was found to be strongly related to name-writing abilities (Puranik & Lonigan,
2011). Children who are able to write their names have a heightened awareness about the shapes, sounds,
and sequences of letters. Based on these studies, name writing skills may be an important predictor of
reading achievement.
Name Writing and Spelling
Children display knowledge of the alphabetic principle through many ways. One way in which they
demonstrate understanding of letter-sound relationships is through spelling. Research indicates that when
children begin spelling, they prefer to use letters from their names to phonetically spell words in invented
spelling activities (Both-de Vries & Bus, 2008). In random-letter writing activities, such as invented spelling,
preschoolers use letters from their own names more often than other letters (Bloodgood, 1999). While some
researchers have argued that children do not use a phonological process in their early name-writing attempts,
McNeil et al. (2013) determined that name writing may act as an important facilitator of invented-spelling
development.

14
32
Invented Spelling and Phonological Awareness
Invented spelling is an important cognitive and linguistic skill associated with letter knowledge and
phoneme awareness in pre-readers (Al Otaiba et al., 2010). Invented spelling reflects the experimentation
young children do with writing before they are able to conventionally spell words. As children move from
scribbling to loose representations of letters, invented spelling reflects the progress they are making towards
gaining new knowledge in letter-sound connection (Senechal, Ouellette, Pagan, & Lever, 2011). Invented
spelling also describes the way young children write words based on their understanding of letters and their
sounds. For example, a young child might write “fol” for fall or "pnkin" for pumpkin. Unconventional
spellings like these provide valuable insight into a child's developing understanding of how written language
works. Teachers use invented spelling activities to support letter-sound knowledge in young children, often
through free writing or journaling activities. Many young children find invented spelling activities fun,
especially when they are constructed based on a an experience that is personally meaningful. A teacher might
ask children to use invented spelling skills to write a sentence about their favorite part of a class field trip, an
experience which most children enjoy. The experimental nature of invented spelling activities strengthens
understanding of the sound-symbol relationship. Clarke (1989) found that children who used invented
spellings wrote longer stories and demonstrated a stronger ability to recognize words.
In a study examining the effect of invented spelling activities with low phonological awareness
preschoolers, Senechal et al. (2012) determined that invented spelling facilitates the introduction of key
concepts in the relationship between oral and written language. Fifty-six preschool children were divided
into three groups with different approaches for introduction to writing: the first focused on development of
letter sound, the second practiced invented spelling, and the third participated in storytelling activities. In
each group, children worked with the same 40 words created from 14 letters. Findings indicated that children
in the invented spelling group acquired stronger reading ability than children in other group, specifically by

15
32
demonstrating that they had learned to read more words. Children in the invented spelling group focused
more on phoneme segmentation, as invented spelling tasks demanded that children identify individual
sounds in words. Results confirmed that invented spelling is a significant factor in phonological awareness.
McNeill et al. (2013) investigated the correlation between name writing proficiency and invented spelling
performance among kindergarten students. A total of 92 children were asked to spell 12 low-frequency
words in a dictation format. Invented-spelling skills were also assessed through school story writing tasks.
Results determined that name writing ability was significantly correlated with phoneme awareness, letter
knowledge, and receptive vocabulary, or the number of words a child understands (McNeill et al., 2013).
Invented spelling helps children understand the relationship between letters and letter-sounds, construct
knowledge about print, think deeper about the function of print, and learn to analyze words using
segmentation (Awramiuk, 2014).
Analysis
This literature review examined research related to the relationship between name writing ability and
emergent literacy skills, including invented spelling activities. The highly meaningful nature of names
signifies them as an extremely suitable instrument for introducing new concepts such as letter sounds, letter
names, and phonemic awareness. If young children are learning about literacy based on their knowledge of
letter names, there is enormous potential for learning new skills about print based on the strong preference
children have to their own names. The analysis of the literature shows that there is substantial support for
phoneme and phonological activities based around the letters in a child’s own proper name, including
invented spelling. The articles reviewed for this literature survey contain excellent strategies for
strengthening name writing skills in order to support emergent literacy skills. Early childhood educators
interested in developing basic knowledge about letter names and sounds would benefit from using children’s
names as a starting point .Teachers might introduce a “name of the week” strategy to name writing skills to

16
32
introduce emergent literacy skills. A different child’s name could be featured each week, with activities
related to brainstorming words based on the letters in the name. In order to avoid the tendency for young
children to memorize their names as logograms, teachers could incorporate letter-sound activities intended to
teach awareness of the individual letter-sounds in a child’s name.
Teachers might also consider incorporating opportunities for invented spelling. By encouraging
children to experiment with segmentation in print, teachers will support understanding of the relationship
between speech sounds and letter representation. Children can practice detecting the individual sounds in
words that spelling represents by creating lists, letters, signs, stories, song, poems, and journaling. Teachers
might also help students develop invented spelling skills through the use of magnetic letters, games that
explore sound and rhyme, and building words with sensory materials such as Play-Doh.
Conclusion
There is considerable empirical support for the importance of name writing skills as a tool for
increasing emergent literacy knowledge in young children. Name writing is the earliest meaningful
experience a young child has with print. Names provide learning opportunity both in phoneme awareness,
letter-sound relationships, and letter writing. Of special interest to early childhood educators are methods
intended to build emergent literacy skills through acquisition of new knowledge related to phoneme
knowledge. The development of name writing skills appears to be constructed through exploration in literacy
in oral and print environments. Invented spelling supports a child’s growing knowledge of the relationship
between oral and written language. When children use invented spelling, they incorporate phoneme
understanding, letter sounds, and developing knowledge in printed language. When children have
opportunities to practice name writing and invented spelling in a print-rich environment that includes
activities which build on phoneme knowledge, they gain considerable phonological awareness and letter-
sound knowledge.

17
32

18
32
References
Al Otaiba, S., Puranik, C.S., Rouby, D., Greulich, L., Sidler, J., & Lee, J. (2010). Predicting kindergartners’
end-of-year spelling ability based on their reading, alphabetic, vocabulary, and phonological
awareness skills, as well as prior literacy experiences. Retrieved October 31, 2014 from
http://www.pubfacts.com/fulltext_frame.php?PMID=25221382&title=Predicting%20kindergartners
%20end%20of%20year%20spelling%20ability%20from%20their%20reading,%20alphabetic,%20vo
cabulary,%20and%20phonological%20awareness%20skills,%20and%20prior%20literacy%20experi
ences.
Awramiuk, E. (2014). Invented spelling: A window on early literacy. Retrieved November 11 2014 from
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cu-
portland.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=556796f2-83af-4619-86b3-
1c7ca4ffda13%40sessionmgr110&hid=116
Bloodgood J. (1999). What’s in a name? Children’s name writing and literacy acquisition. Retrieved October
30 2014 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3309424/
Both-de Vries, A., & Bus, A. (2008). Name writing: A first step to phonetic writing? Does the name have a
special role in understanding the symbolic function of writing? Retrieved October 26 2014 from
http://files.eric.ed.gov.ezproxy.cu-portland.edu/fulltext/EJ899643.pdf
Byrne, B. (1998).The foundation of literacy. The child’s acquisition of the alphabetic principle. East Sussex,
UK: Psychology Press Ltd.
Clarke. L. K. (1989). Encouraging invented spelling in first graders' writing: Effects on learning to spell and
read. Research in the Teaching of English, 22, 281-309.

19
32
Hoorens, V., Nuttin, J. M., Herman, I. E., and Pavakanun, U. (1990). Mastery pleasure versus mere
ownership: A quasi-experimental cross-cultural and cross-alphabetical test of the name letter effect.
European Journal of Social Psychology, 20:181–205.
Levin, I., Both–de Vries, A. C., Aram, D., & Bus, A. G. (2005). Writing starts with own name writing: From
scribbling to conventional spelling in Israeli and Dutch children. Applied Psycholinguistics, 26, 463–
477.
Mattingly, I. (1972). Reading, the linguistic process, and linguistic awareness. In J. Kavanagh & I. Mattingly
(Eds.), Language by ear and by eye: The relationships between speech and reading (pp. 133 – 147).
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press
McNeill, B., Westerveld, M., van Bysterveldt, A., Boyd, L., & Gillon, G. (2013). Early name writing and
invented-spelling development. Retrieved October 29 2014 from
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cu-
portland.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=e76f3b55-0bd4-4d59-9b57-
f4906230fd89%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4206
Pinnell, G. S., & Fountas, I. C. (2011). Literacy beginnings: A prekindergarten handbook. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.
Puranik, C., & Lonigan, C. (2011). Name-writing proficiency, not length of name, is associated with
preschool children’s emergent writing skills. Retrieved October 16 2014 from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3328802/
Rog, L.J (2011). Read, write, play, learn: Literacy instruction in today’s kindergarten. Newark, DE:
International Reading Association.

20
32
Senechal, M., Ouellette, G., Pagan, S., & Lever, R. (2011). The role of invented spelling on learning to read
in low-phoneme awareness kindergartners: A random-control-trial study. Retrieved November 9,
2014 from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cu-
portland.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=e3155849-1ecd-4fd5-97f3-
e6a9048ba3c9%40sessionmgr113&hid=116

21
32
Appendix

22
32
Alphabet Knowledge Assessment
Response Response
A S q
C T e
D Z w
G Y j
F X n
H B v
L M k
R I u
P a s
O c t
Q d z
W g y
J f x
N h b
V l m

23
32
K r i
U p Total #
recognized
Key
Correctly Recognized
Wrong Response
Didn’t Know
No Response
Lakeshore Learning (2014). Alphabet knowledge assessment. Retrieved November 16, 2014 from
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/media/images/free_resources/teachers_corner/printables/alphaasse
ssment.pdf

24
32
Letter Sound Short Form Assessment Three - Form Version, Form 1
Instructions:
Say, “I’m going to show you some letters, and I want you to tell me the sounds that they make when
they are in words.” Show the child each of the letters on the list, one pair of uppercase and lowercase letters
at a time. Ask the child, “What sound does this letter make?” If the child responds with a letter name, prompt
“That’s a letter name, but what is the sound that the letter makes?” If the child responds with a word, prompt
“That’s a word that has that letter, but what is the sound that the letter makes?” Tally the number of letters
for which a correct letter sound is given and use the scoring key to convert to scaled or sum scores.
Q q
X x
D d
S s
B b
G g
J j
N n
Scoring Key

25
32
Number Correct Scaled Score Sum Score
0 17.92 0.92
1 19.18 2.99
2 19.93 5.85
3 20.47 8.97
4 20.94 8.97
5 21.41 15.36
6 21.93 18.50
7 22.59 21.46
8 23.49 23.84
Number Correct:
Scaled Score:
Sum Score:
Original source:
children’s alphabet knowledge: Development and validation of brief letter-sound knowledge

26
32
assessments using item- response theory. Retrieved November 16, 2014 from
Letter Sound Short Form Assessment Three - Form Version, Form 2
Instructions:
for which a correct letter sound is given and use the scoring sheet to convert to scaled or sum scores.
T t
V v
L l
W w
C c
F f
U u
Z z

27
32
Scoring Key
0 17.91 0.89
1 19.15 2.92
2 19.92 5.82
3 20.48 9.03
4 20.96 12.30
5 21.44 15.56
6 21.97 18.74
7 22.65 21.69
8 23.54 23.94
Number Correct:
Scaled Score:
Sum Score:
Original source:

28
32
assessments using item-response theory. Retrieved November 16, 2014 from
Letter Sound Short Form Assessment Three-Form Version, Form 3
Instructions:
for which a correct letter sound is given and use the scoring key to convert to scaled or sum scores.
K k
M m
A a
H h
E e
P p
R r
Y y

29
32
Scoring Key
0 17.92 0.90
1 19.16 2.93
2 19.93 5.88
3 20.50 9.15
4 20.99 12.46
5 21.46 15.72
6 21.99 18.84
7 22.65 21.69
8 23.58 24.02
Number Corect:
Scaled Score:
Sum Score:
Original source:

30
32
assessments using item-response theory. Retrieved November 16, 2014 from

31
32
Test of Invented Spelling (Mann, Tobin, & Wilson, 1987)
Materials Needed: List of words to be spelled and a numbered response form containing 14 triple spaced
lines.
Directions:
This test can be administered to small groups of students. The teacher could introduce the test by
saying, “I want you to try to write some words for me. I will say a word and you should write it as best you
can. If you cannot write the whole word, write any of the sounds that you hear, and any of the letters that you
think might belong in that word.” “Ready? OK, here is the first word.” (Read each word aloud twice and
wait as the children respond.)
Word List
1. red 2. name 3. bed 4. lady 5. fish 6. men 7. boat 8. girl 9. color 10. angry 11. thank you 12. people 13. dog
14. boy
Phonological Scoring System
Each response is assigned a score between 0 and 4. No points are awarded if no letters are given or if
the letters fail to capture any phonological element of the target word. One point is given for a response in
which the first letter (or only letter) represents the first phoneme in the word. One half-point is given for a
single letter corresponding to any phoneme except the first. Two points are given if the response represents
at least two phonemes. Three points are given if all phonemes are represented, but the word is not spelled
correctly. Some leniency is allowed in using the correct letters for specific sounds, since the goal is to
evaluate the child’s awareness of the sounds in the word. Four points are awarded when the response is
correct by conventional spelling standards. The maximum possible score is 56.

32
32
Scoring examples: red: r (1), rd (2), d (1/2); name: nam (3); fish: fis (3); angry: agre (2), anger (3);
people: ppl (2), peepl (3); thank you: thak u (2), tank u (3)
Expected Scores:
The test was given to a group of predominantly white, middle class children in May of the
kindergarten year, and the average phonological score was 21. About 68 percent of the children obtained
scores between 9 and 33. Mann suggests that scores below five at the end of kindergarten indicate a
pronounced risk for reading problems in first grade.
V. A. Mann, P. Tobin, & R. Wilson (1987). Measuring phonological awareness through the invented
spellings of kindergarten children. Retrieved November 16, 2014 from
http://www.fldoe.org/ese/pdf/phonoman.pdf

Elissa_Stern_Action_Research_Project__EDGR_698

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (18)

Similar to Elissa_Stern_Action_Research_Project__EDGR_698

Similar to Elissa_Stern_Action_Research_Project__EDGR_698 (20)

Elissa_Stern_Action_Research_Project__EDGR_698