The development of spelling skills in the preschool years: Questions about the syllabic stage

Abstract

The present study investigates spelling development in a sample of 20 preschool children. Spelling skills were evaluated every six months, for a period of approximately 24 months. At the beginning of the study, the children were, on average, 4.6 years old, and none had started to read or spell. By the end of the study, on the other hand, all but one child could spell alphabetically. Results suggest that Ehri's phase model offers a more appropriate account of spelling development by Brazilian Portuguese-speaking children than Ferreiro's stage model.