Development of morphological spelling strategies in second language learners with and without reading disability

This study examined the effects of language status and reading disability (RD) on children's spelling development of 2 inflectional morphemes: plural nouns and past tense verbs. The sample consisted of 46 English-as-a-second language (ESL) and 24 English-as-first language (EL1) students (35 non-RD, 35 RD) who were matched on a case-by-case basis on first language (L1) and non-verbal ability. The study (a) compared the development of morphological skills in spelling plural and past tense markers in ESL and EL1 students, (b) examined how correct spelling of stems relates to the spelling of the inflectional morphemes. Results indicated a similar pattern of development of the spelling of the target morphemes in ESLs and EL1s. Regardless of their L1, RD students lagged behind their non-RD counterparts. Children who spelled the stems correctly were more likely to spell accurately the inflectional morphemes.;Implications are discussed within the context of ESL/EL1 and reading disabilities literature.