Abstract
Early literacy and writing development are inter-related, yet predictors of beginning writing are less well studied than beginning reading. This study investigated contributions of school-entry name-writing to writing skills after 1 and 2 years of school in New Zealand above and beyond school-entry oral language and early literacy skills. Participants were 102 children followed for 2 years from school-entry. Study variables correlated concurrently and predictively, although multivariate results varied by outcome measure. School-entry alphabet knowledge consistently contributed to spelling measures and teachers’ judgments of writing progress at follow-up. School-entry phonological awareness uniquely contributed to one measure, pseudowords spelled correctly, at follow-up, with 1-year correctly spelled pseuodowords mediating the relation between school-entry phonological awareness and teachers’ judgments of progress in writing (WritingOTJ) at 2-year follow-up. School-entry name writing predicted later handwriting and correct spelling of letter sounds at 1-year follow-up, with 1-year correctly spelled letter sounds mediating the relation between school-entry name-writing and 2-year WritingOTJ. Finally, predictive relations between school-entry oral language skills and WritingOTJ emerged at 2-year follow-up. Results document links between school-entry alphabet knowledge and beginning writing. Cognitive-linguistic skills differentially added to predictions of later skills, supporting posited contributions of phonological awareness to spelling and oral language to proficient writing of older students. School-entry name-writing, associated with handwriting and letter-sound writing at 1-year follow-up, may reflect beginning transcription skills in young children.
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Notes
Although National Standards requiring overall teacher judgment reporting has been repealed, teachers continue to be expected to make judgments regarding students’ progress in the curriculum (Te Kete Ipurangi, n.d).
Lisa H. Stewart, Qualified PELI® Trainer and Mentor.
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Acknowledgements
These data were collected when Ruby-Rose McDonald was a masters student and Tracy A. Cameron was a PhD student in the Department of Psychology, with manuscript preparation supported by a University of Otago masters publishing bursary to Ruby-Rose McDonald. Portions of these data were included in the undergraduate research of Kaitlin Boddie and Honours research of Craig McPherson. All authors express sincere gratitude to the parents, schools, and children involved in this project.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by TC, KB, and R-RM. The first draft of the manuscript was written by R-RM and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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McDonald, RR., Schaughency, E., Boddie, K. et al. Contributions of school-entry oral language, early literacy skills, and name writing to writing in the first 2 years of school. Read Writ (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-023-10492-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-023-10492-6