Examining the relations between teacher level factors and the use of spelling instruction and assessment practices.

Abstract

This study investigated elementary teachers' spelling activity and assessment practices and examined how these practices relate to teachers' spelling knowledge, self-efficacy in teaching spelling, and instructional philosophy. Survey responses were collected from 324 K to 5 teachers in a diverse urban district, including open-ended descriptions of spelling activities and scoring methods. Responses were analyzed and categorized into eight instructional activity types and five scoring approaches. Descriptive and multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that teachers' activity choices were more strongly associated with their self-efficacy and philosophy in teaching spelling than with their formal spelling knowledge. Teachers with stronger philosophical beliefs were more likely to report linguistically informed practices (e.g., Word Sorts), while those with higher self-efficacy tended to favor traditional spelling activities (e.g., worksheet-based tasks). Scoring practices showed a preference for partial-credit approaches, though many still used traditional right/wrong grading. Spelling knowledge showed a marginal association with nuanced scoring that goes beyond mere right-or-wrong evaluations, but all three traits (i.e., spelling knowledge, self-efficacy, and philosophy) did not significantly predict scoring methods. These findings suggest that teacher education should address not only spelling knowledge but also self-efficacy and philosophy to support evidence-based spelling practices.