CHAPTER 1

THE ENVIRONMENT

Introduction

The word is the sensible expression of the invisible thought (Horvat, 2013).

Thus, the researcher as an English language teacher believes that language is

an important tool for human beings to communicate with one another. It

comprises four (4) important components manifested through skill development –

speaking, writing, listening, and reading.

In written communication, spelling correctly is perhaps one of the most

valued yet difficult skills. Spelling requires matching the sounds of language with

the appropriate letters in order to accurately and reliably conveys messages. The

use of correct spelling brings good communication between the writers and the

readers. Wrong spelling brings communication breakdown between the writers

and the readers. The readers who are reading wrongly spelt words may

understand the word in a wrong way and he may be confused to understand the

message of the writers.

Therefore, knowing and using the correct spelling of words help to create

good communication between writers and readers. It is important for a person to

know how to spell English words. A person who does not know how to spell

English words commits spelling errors that can cause communication breakdown.

Actually, the goal of spelling instruction should not be temporary

memorization of words but rather the development of skills to be able to correctly

represent the written language.

Written English is characterized by rules of phoneme-grapheme

correspondence (Nagy, Berninger, Abbott, Vaughan, &Vermeulen, 2003). The

roles of orthographic knowledge (e.g., processing written language; letters and

letter patterns), phonological knowledge (e.g., processing or manipulating oral

language; sounds), and morphological awareness in spelling performance have

been well documented (Green et al., 2003). As a result, spelling is related to

reading and written expression.

While words can be recognized when reading through relatively small sets

of critical features from phonological, syntactic and semantic knowledge, words

must be remembered in a precise order to spell them correctly. Without this

knowledge, spelling even the most basic words becomes overwhelming to the

struggling speller. Every classroom has poor spellers, but not all students

misspell words in the same way. Their work is sometimes dominated by different

error patterns, suggesting different problems as the root of their difficulty in

spelling. This is not surprising since this may be due to the complexities of the

English language. The alphabet has 26 letters that represent the 44 phonemes

used in English speech. When letters are accurately sequenced, they can form

between 500 and 2,000 spellings to represent those 44 phonemes in the English

language.

However, one factor that may affect spelling is texting. This is also the

factor that was observed by the researcher to the III-SPA A students.

According to Pondent (2013), texting is a convenient way for students to

keep up with their peers. To speed up the process of communication, text

messages shorten words, don't differentiate between lower and upper cases, and

aren't particularly strong on punctuation. There is also not much attention to

sentence structure and detail in these brief messages. Such shortcuts make it

easier to type out words on cell phones. Concerns arise when students extend

this language to other forms of communication.

However, one area of impact is spelling. When students constantly use

text messaging format, they may favor the spellings they are more familiar with

over the correct spellings. For instance, a student who is constantly typing "u" in

his text messages could develop a tendency to extend this to schoolwork, or

other more formal communication, such as email. Instead of spelling out "you",

he may well continue to use the text messaging format.

Therefore, in order to make this as instantaneous as possible, an entirely

new culture of ‘text speak’ has emerged. This involves texting using

abbreviations and symbols, instead of correct spelling, to shorten the length of

time it takes to write a sentence without diluting its meaning. Here are some

examples and what they mean.

OMG = Oh my God

Str8 = straight

2moz or 2moro = tomorrow

2G2BT = too good to be true

LOL = laugh out loud (to indicate a person’s laughing in response to a

text). Moreover, the researcher also observed that ‘’regionalism’ or regional

defect of the students relatively affects their spelling proficiency. This is so, as

the English language particularly deals with sounds and the regional defect of the

students drag them to use the sounds in their dialect which are either hard or soft

but not in consonance with the sound of the English word, thus, producing

incorrect sound which precisely produces incorrect spelling. According to Cheng-

Yu (2009), can be different letter-sound correlations. In English, letter-sound

correlation different in different words. Mapping between phonemes and

graphemes are not regular. So when one word is to be spelt, several “similar

words are activated at the same time. Thus, it is cumbersome for the learners to

use correct graphemes because some of the letters and consonant are replaced

by those with similar pronunciation like misspelling of “editor” as “editer” “cap” as

“kap” (Cheng-Yu, 2009).

Finally and very important, causes of students spelling errors could be

ascribed to dyslexia. Dyslexia is a broad term defining a learning disability that

impairs a person’s fluency or accuracy in being able to read, speak and spell and

which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness,

phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short –term memory, and

/or rapid naming (Wikipedia, 2011).

The researcher also observed that even III-SPA A students who are good

at spoken English sometimes commit spelling errors when they write what they

speak or what others say to them. Besides, from long years of teaching

experience and observation, the researcher realized that colleagues who teach

different subjects in English complained that most of the students seem to have

problems of spelling in their writing. Therefore, the wrong spelling in the students’

test, class works, home works, assignments and lecture notes seems to mislead

teachers to understand the students’ answers in a wrong way. As a result, the

students fail to get the result that they deserve due to wrong spellings.

The III-SPA A students belong to one of the Curricula at Pangasinan

National High School. SPA stands for Special Program In The Arts where

students have the chance to develop and showcase their talent in their chosen

major subject. Major Subjects include the following: Visual Arts, Theater Arts,

Choir, Rondalla, Drum and Lyre, Dance and Creative Writing/Journalism. In the

present study, however, the SPA A students were the respondents. They are

taking up Journalism as their major and expected to have high spelling skills;

however, having tried and found out their spelling proficiency, the researcher

personally chose them to be her respondents. Thus, the study was conducted.

Using the computer for spelling instruction was deemed a feasible option

due to the computer's capability of offering direct, personalized instruction for

students. Moreover, computer-assisted instruction (CAI) was reported to be

associated with increased student motivation to learn (Wanzek et al, 2006).

With the above literature, the researcher aimed to enhance the spelling

skills of III-SPA A students through computer assisted instruction (CAI).

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) refers to the use of a computer-technology

as a learning medium that presents learning materials and/or check’s learner’s

knowledge (Anohina, 2005). In the study Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is

used when describing more specific applications such as drill-and-practice,

tutorials, or simulation activities offered either as a stand-alone activity or

supplemental activities to enhance teacher-directed instruction such as in

Spelling.

CHAPTER 2

THE PLANNING PROCESS

Research Problem

This action research aimed to enhance the spelling skills of the III-SPA A

of Pangasinan National High School (PNHS), S.Y. 2013-2014 through computer-

assisted instruction (CAI).

Specifically, the study answered the following sub-problems:

1. What are the common words that are misspelled by the III-SPA A?

2. What is the extent of performance of the III-SPA A in Spelling before

and after using the computer-assisted instruction (CAI)?

4. What are the proposed activities to enhance the spelling skills of the III-

SPA A aside from the computer-assisted instruction (CAI)?

The possible causes of low performance of students in Spelling may be

attributed to the following:

a. lack of textbook

b. absenteeism

c. unmotivated learner

d. reluctant learner

e. non-reader/slow reader

CHAPTER 3

VISIONING and STRATEGY FORMULATION (VMOKRAPI SPATRES)

Framework

Theoretical

According to social-constructivist theorists such as Vygotsky (1978),

higher mental functioning of learners originates through communication and

social interaction with more capable peers and adults. In the process of

knowledge construction, educators can act as mediators who guide and

encourage learners to formulate their own levels of understanding. By

challenging learners to develop “new ways of thinking” (i.e. teaching in what is

known as Vygotsky’s “zone of proximal development�), learners can be lifted to

higher levels of mental functioning. Concurrent with Vygotsky�s viewpoint, one

of the aims of the current study is to make younger spellers aware that they do

possess higher-level mental orthographic skills, such as visual imaging, that they

can successfully use to enhance their spelling ability. In addition, the author also

considered Gardner’s (2004) “theory of multiple intelligences”. Gardner (2004)

maintains that learners can become more successful in all subject areas,

including the learning of basic skills, if they have the opportunity to learn through

their strengths. Finally, in the present study, the author has extended Vygotsky�s

social-constructivist theory of cognitive development and proposes a conceptual

framework for improving learners� spelling abilities on the basis of a “diverse

constructivist orientation within a responsive teaching curriculum” (Au, 1998;

Kaste, 2004; Mahoney, Perales, Wiggers& Herman, 2006). The instructional

methods proposed by diverse constructivist orientations are those methods that

include authentic literacy activities and emphasize explicit systematic instruction

whereby learners are actively involved in the learning process (Kaste, 2004).

Within a responsive teaching environment, learners are encouraged to develop

and use foundational strategies for developmental learning such as problem

solving, joint attention, conversation, trust, cooperation, persistence and feelings

of competence (Mahoney et al., 2006).

Conceptual

Spelling is an important skill for learners to master at school, it is often

neglected by many educators. Other educators view spelling as a by-product of

reading and are of the opinion that engaging in “casual” reading and writing

activities will automatically transfer into adequate spelling abilities; this, despite

research results demonstrating that learners� spelling performance can be

enhanced by providing them with direct instruction (Graham et al., 2002, 2000;

Sears & Johnson, 1986). Thus, the study was conducted.

In the study, it used the I-P-O design. The input variable were the common

words that were misspelled by the III-SPA A. It also included the extent of

performance of the III-SPA A in Spelling. These were done through the use of the

computer-assisted instruction (CAI).

The outputs were the proposed activities to enhance the spelling skills of

the III-SPA A aside from the computer-assisted instruction (CAI).

Figure 1 below shows the paradigm of the study.

Input Process Output

Figure 1. Paradigm of the Study

Proposed Activities to

Enhance the Spelling

Skills of the III-SPA A

A. Misspelled Common

Words

B. Extent of performance

of the III-SPA A in

Spelling

Computer-Assisted

Instruction (CAI)

Significance of the Study

The researcher believed that the result of this study is significant in the

following situations:

To the School Administrators. This study will be of great importance in

providing measures in teaching Spelling which is integrated in English so that

they can support and assist their teachers.

To the English Teacher. This will be of great importance in upgrading

their knowledge in teaching English, thus, improving their teaching strategies and

increase English performance of the secondary students.

To the Students. They will be the direct recipients of the study by

enriching their enthusiasm in Spelling not only Reading.

Scope and Limitations

This study aimed to enhance the spelling skills of the III-SPA A of

Pangasinan National High School (PNHS), S.Y. 2013-2014 through computer-

assisted instruction (CAI). Experimental method was used in the study, however

it used one group pre-test – post test design. The respondents of this study were

the twelve (12) III-SPA A students enrolled in Pangasinan National High School

(PNHS) in Lingayen.

This study was undertaken in Pangasinan National High School (PNHS), a

public secondary school located at the heart of Lingayen, Pangasinan.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

DELIVERABLES TASKS PERSONS INVOLVE

RESOURCES NEEDED

TIMEFRAME BUDGET

Request 1.Ask permission from the SDS to conduct the study

Principal

Researcher

Letter of permission June P200

Pre-Test 2.Gathering of data

Researcher

III-SPA A Students

Questionnaires July P500

Classroom Drills 3.Evaluation using the questionnaire

Researcher

III-SPA A Students

Spelling Drills August P1000

Results of the

Pre-test

3.Tallying, analyzing and interpreting of data

Researcher

III-SPA A Students

Tally sheet

pen

1st week of September P200

Post-Test 4.Presentation of the data and giving recommendations

Researcher

III-SPA A Students

Questionnaires 2nd week of September P200

Analysis and

Interpretation

5.Monitor and evaluate the results

Researcher Data 4th week of October P500

Research Design

This study aimed to enhance the spelling skills of the III-SPA A of

Pangasinan National High School (PNHS), S.Y. 2013-2014 through computer-

assisted instruction (CAI). Experimental method was used in the study. The

experimental method involves manipulating one variable to determine if changes

in one variable cause changes in another variable. The study used one group

pre-test – post test design.

Role of Researcher

The researcher served as the facilitator of the study. She guided the

students what to do. She oriented the III-SPA A students.

Research

The respondents of this study were the twelve (12) III-SPA A students

enrolled in Pangasinan National High School (PNHS) in Lingayen.

The respondents of the study were the 12 students who scored low in the

Diagnostic Test for Spelling. This is the 20 percent of the total population. Gay

(1976) as cited by Adanza (2005), a minimum of 20 percent may be required for

smaller population. By using this formula, the researcher came up with the

number of respondents.

This study was undertaken in Pangasinan National High School (PNHS), a

public secondary school located at the heart of Lingayen, Pangasinan. The

school is founded in 1908 at Alvear Street., Lingayen, Pangasinan. Lingayen is a

1st class municipality in the province of Pangasinan on the island of Luzon in the

Philippines. It is the capital municipality of Pangasinan.

All needed data for this study were gathered through questionnaire which

is written in English. This questionnaire was based from the researcher’s English

book prescribed by the Department of Education.

On the other hand, the words that were used in the computer-assisted

instruction (CAI) were based on the literatures entitled “The Last Leaf”, “Snow”,

“A Blessing”, and “Moving Forward” discussed in the class.

The questionnaire was administered to the students personally by the

researcher to ensure that the necessary instructions and clarifications were given

to the respondents and to guarantee 100% retrieval of the answered

questionnaire before and after using the computer-assisted instruction (CAI).

The researcher employed the computer-assisted instruction (CAI) to

enhance the spelling skills of the III-SPA A students. This was done in a month.

The sessions were twice a week and one quiz for every two (2) sessions was

given.

The classes were done in a computer laboratory.

The responses of the respondents were tallied, tabulated and analyzed,

both descriptively and inferentially, to answer the problems raised in this study.

Problem 1 dealt with the common words that were misspelled by the III-

SPA A. This was treated using frequency and percentages.

Problem 2 dealt with the extent of performance of the III-SPA A in Spelling

before and after using the computer-assisted instruction (CAI). This was treated

using frequency and means.

Documentation Process

During the conduct of the study, the researcher took pictures for

documentation.

Data Analysis

Common Words Misspelled

Misspelled words can be a major distraction to the reader. Stumbling over

a misspelled word, the reader immediately stops thinking about the article or

book being read and wonders how a misspelled word seeped its way into the

document.

Table 1 presents the common words that are misspelled by the III-SPA A.

Table1

Common Words Misspelled by the III-SPA A N=12

SET A SET B SET C

Words f % F % f %

dim 8 67 heritage 10 83 dazzle 12 100presents 9 75 journal 5 42 boredom 11 92figure 4 33 brochures 8 67 reason 9 75roar 4 33 reprimand 9 75 twilight 10 83quite 10 83 doorway 8 67 grazing 11 92quit 8 67 epilogue 12 100 frosty 8 67catastrophic 12 100 argue 6 50 holocaust 12 100rags 5 42 quilt 8 67 inked 12 100thoroughly 5 42 venn 12 100 restraint 12 100journal 5 42 literary 7 58 reputation 8 67Monday 8 67 rare 6 50 absolute 5 42professor 8 67 puzzling 10 83 heroine 7 58disappear 6 50 seagull 9 75 stammer 4 33lieutenant 12 100 admonition 8 67 areca 8 67receipt 12 100 cliff 9 75 devious 8 67

The table discloses that among the common misspelled words by the III-

SPA A students, the following words: catastrophic, lieutenant, receipt epilogue,

venn, dazzle, holocaust, inked and restraint were misspelled by all the

respondents.

Extent of Performance of the III-SPA A in Spelling

The extent of student’s learning in academics may be determined by the

grades a student earns for a period of learning has been done. It is believed that

a grade is a primary indicator of such learning. If a learner earns high grades it is

concluded that they may also have learned a lot while low grades indicate lesser

learning. However, many experiences and studies found out that there are also

several factors that would account for the grades. No single factor can be

definitely pointed out as predicting grades. It has been an interplay of so many

factors – gender, IQ, study habits, age, year level, parent’s educational

attainment, social status, number of siblings, birth order, etc. In fact, almost all of

existing environmental and personal factors are a variable of academic

performance.

Table 2 presents the extent of performance of the III-SPA A in Spelling

before and after using the computer-assisted instruction (CAI).

Table 2

Extent of Performance of the III-SPA A in Spelling Before and After Using the Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI)

N=12

SPA A Before Using CAI After Using CAIAct.

1Act.

2Act.

3Act.

4Act.

5Act.

1Act.

2Act.

3Act.

4Act.

5Student 1 6 9 5 8 4 7 8 6 7 9Student 2 3 4 7 5 8 4 6 8 8 8Student 3 4 6 8 6 6 7 7 8 7 8Student 4 7 3 5 3 4 9 6 7 8 9Student 5 6 8 8 4 3 8 8 9 8 9Student 6 4 5 6 5 4 6 6 7 8 10Student 7 3 6 5 3 4 5 7 6 9 10Student 8 5 3 4 4 4 7 5 5 9 8Student 9 3 3 4 5 3 5 4 4 9 8Student 10 6 5 8 7 3 7 7 8 9 8Student 11 4 4 3 5 5 5 5 7 8 10Student 12 9 7 6 4 4 9 8 8 10 10

Total 60 63 69 59 52 79 77 83 100 107Χ 5.00 5.25 5.75 4.92 4.33 6.58 6.58 6.42 8.33 8.92

The table reveals that the level of performance of the III-SPA A students

had a gradual increase after the use of the Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI).

The total scores before theuse of the Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) are 60,

63, 69, 59 and 52 while after the use of the Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI),

the total scores are 79, 77, 83, 100 and 107 respectively.

Proposed Activities to Enhance the Spelling Skills of the III-SPA A Students

Teaching spelling can be difficult enough, without the added stress of

teaching commonly misspelled words. The following were the proposed activities

to enhance the Spelling skills of the III-SPA A students aside from computer-

aided instruction (CAI).

First, be patient with the students. Yelling at students about spelling is just

going to frustrate them. It will not help in making them become better writers.

Furthermore, the students will appreciate the teacher’s patience.

Second, use flashcards. Even older learners can benefit from the usage of

flashcards. Sometimes just seeing the word before them is enough to help them

remember it.

Third, encourage the use of tools like spell check on the computer. Spell

check should not become the ultimate source for students, because it does have

errors in it. However, it allows students to see the word in front of them.

Fourth, distribute handouts that have both the correct and incorrect

spellings of words on them. Allow students to figure out which one is correct. It

does not create the high pressure environment of having to spell out a word by

one's self, but it does have a similar effect.

Fifth, ask students which words they have trouble spelling, and admit that

everyone has a few problematic words. Students might feel that they are the only

ones who cannot spell.

Sixth, be sensitive to learning disabilities. Spelling words correctly is going

to be much move difficult for someone who is dyslexic than for someone who

does not have any learning disabilities.

Lastly, encourage students to edit their own work. If they learn to pick up

on their own errors, they will be more likely to correct them.

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

According to the results of the study, these are the common misspelled

words by the III-SPA A students, the following words: catastrophic, lieutenant,

receipt epilogue, venn, dazzle, holocaust, inked and restraint were misspelled by

all the respondents.

Some words are included in the study of the Words Most Frequently

Misspelled by High School Students at http://flaglerschools.com/sites/default/

files/misspelled_words_by_hs_students.pdf.

Table 2 indicates that the III-SPA A students acquired the target

responses and also demonstrated gains in spelling of words in the posttest. The

findings of this preliminary study suggest that Computer-assisted instruction (CAI)

were useful during the instruction of Spelling for the III-SPA A students.

Studies that employed assistive technology as part of the spelling

intervention, such as Computer-assisted instruction (CAI), were associated with

spelling improvements (Wanzek et al, 2006).

Based from the findings, proposed activities top enhance the spelling skills

of the III-SPA A students were given.

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Based from the significant findings of the study, the following were

concluded:

1. Spelling English words by itself is difficult, as students did not spell

many words the way they sound and others have silent letters. This

inconsistency in English spellings misleads students to write words with wrong

spelling.

2. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) was effective and that the

respondents’ spelling skills were enhanced.

3. It is vital to develop and integrate spelling lessons into the language

teaching in reading, listening, speaking, writing, grammar, vocabulary and

dictionary skills to help the students develop their spelling skills.

Based from the conclusion,it is implied that:

1. Teachers have to use assessment of their students’ tests, or sample of

students’ writing to diagnose students need and apply different methods of

teaching them.

2. English spelling is more complex and inconsistent, teachers should

expose the students into several spelling exercises to help them learn.

3. Implement the proposed activities to enhance the Spelling skills of the

III-SPA A students.

Bibliography

Books

Gardner, H. (2004). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books. New Editions.

Journals

Anohina, A. (2005). Analysis of the terminology used in the field of virtual learning. Journal of Educational Technology and Society, 8, 91-102.

Au, KH. (1998). Social constructivism and the school literacy learning of students from diverse backgrounds. Journal of Literacy Research, 30:297-319.

Bosman, Amt, M Van Huygevort& L Verhoeven. (2006). Spelling feedback in an ICT-learning environment: Issues of proficiency, training efficiency and transfer. International Journal of Educational Research, 45, 341-361.

Cheng-Yu N. (2009). Analysis of Phonological Factors in English Spelling.Sino-US English Teach, USA, 6(2), 1.

Kaste, JA. (2004). Scaffolding through cases: diverse constructivist teaching in the literacy method course. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20, 31-45.

Keuning J & L Verhoeven. (2008). Spelling development throughout elementary grades: The Dutch case. Learning and Individual Differences, 18:459-470.

Mahoney, G, F Perales, B Wiggers& BB Herman. (2006). Responsive Teaching: Early intervention for children with Down syndrome and other disabilities. Down Syndrome Research and Practice, 11(1),18-28.

Wanzek, J., Sharon Vaughn, Jade Wexler, Elizabeth A. Swanson, Meghan Edmonds, and Ae-Hwa Kim. (2006). Effects on the Spelling Outcomes of Students With LD. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39(6), 528-543.

Online Sources

Elementary School Most Commonly Misspelled Words. (2013.) Retrieved from http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/spelling-and-word-lists/elementary-school-most-commonly-misspelled-words.html

Horvat, Marian T. (2013). The Voice – Speaking and Conversing.Retrieved from http://www.traditioninaction.org/Cultural/A022cpManualCivility10_Voice_1.htm

Pondent, Corr S. (2013). The Effects of Texting on the Vocabulary of Students. http://www.ehow.com/info_8559591_effects-texting-vocabulary-students.html#ixzz2glGjJbnU

Words Most Frequently Misspelled by High School Students. (2013). Retrieved from http://flaglerschools.com/sites/default/files/misspelled_words_by_hs_students.pdf