Look-Say-Cover-Write-Say-Check and Old Way/New Way - Mediational Learning: A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Two Tutoring Programs for Children with Persistent Spelling Difficulties

Abstract

The goal of this research was to compare the effectiveness of the Look-Say-Cover-Write-Say-Check and Old Way/New Way Mediational Learning approaches to spelling remediation. Prior to commencing the research program, selected third and fourth year Bachelor of Education (Primary) pre-service teachers were trained by the first author in tutoring methods in both spelling remediation approaches. Participants consisted of 25 students, ages 7-12, from local community schools, who were randomly allocated to one of the two treatment conditions. The program involved one-on-one tutoring by the trained pre-service teachers, under the mentorship of the first author. Statistical analysis of the pre- and post-test results indicated significant improvement for both groups, but one method did not emerge as superior to the other.