Teachers' Concerns About Spelling Instruction: A National Survey

Teachers' concerns regarding spelling instruction and the spelling abilities of their students were sought in a national survey. Using a random sample of teachers of grades one through five across all 50 states, respondents reported teaching practices, degree of agreement with theoretical statements, and responded to open-ended statements. Teachers reported a traditional memorization model was most often used, but that they were dissatisfied with the results with student carryover to independent writing. Implications from this study demonstrate the need for expanding teachers' understanding about the developmental nature of spelling knowledge and revision of instruction by constructing more appropriate word lists.