UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1152

Overall Research Project Description The abilities to read and write are foundational skills upon which a child’s academic success or persistent difficulties rest (Anderson et al., 1985; National Research Council, 1998). The need for sufficient literacy skills extends far beyond one’s school years and has been linked to a person’s quality of life, including access to career opportunities and the ability to participate in the ever-changing Information Age (Anderson et al., 1985; National Research Council, 1998). According to the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)—the United States' biannual indicator of academic achievement —only about one-third of fourth graders in the United States are reading at proficient levels (National Center for Education Statistics, 2023).

Learning to spell in English is even more complex than learning to read (Venezky, 1999). Translating spoken words into their correct spelling requires extensive exposure and experience, as many letters have multiple pronunciations and each of these pronunciations often has more than one spelling, creating what Venezky (1999) describes as a “spaghetti-like tangle” (p. 11). Thus, understanding the variability and quasi-regularity that underpin the English language is crucial for identifying which types of words present children with the greatest difficulty and how instruction can more effectively support their development. The present study examines how individual differences among third through fifth-grade students and the characteristics of specific multisyllabic words (i.e., words with more than one syllable such as delightful) influence spelling, reading, and vocabulary performance. Additionally, a pilot study will compare the efficacy of two research-informed spelling approaches: a commonly used method (i.e., Cover-Copy-Compare) and a theoretically motivated, researcher-designed explicit instructional approach (i.e., Explicit Instruction Utilizing Multiple Patterns).