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Relationships Between Morphological Knowledge, Spelling and Writing in Adolescents.

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Title: Relationships Between Morphological Knowledge, Spelling and Writing in Adolescents.
Authors: Terradas, Jessica Colleu (AUTHOR), Colenbrander, Danielle (AUTHOR), Parrila, Rauno (AUTHOR), Castles, Anne (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Research in Reading. May2026, Vol. 49 Issue 2, p1-12. 12p.
Subjects: Orthography & spelling, Writing education, Secondary education, Teenagers, Curriculum-based assessment, Morphology (Grammar), Literacy
Abstract: Background: Spelling proficiency is crucial for expressing abstract ideas in writing. In secondary school, students are increasingly required to spell morphologically complex, subject‐specific words, but such words are challenging to spell, and few studies have investigated how morphological knowledge contributes to spelling and writing performance in secondary students. Methods: Two hundred and sixty‐six Year 7 students (M = 13 years, 1 month; SD = 4 months) from seven Australian schools completed a task of curriculum‐relevant morphologically complex spelling, as well as tasks of morphological knowledge, standardised spelling, vocabulary, reading fluency and cognitive ability. Writing quality was indexed by National Assessment Program–Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) scores. Correlational and regression analyses examined relationships between morphological knowledge, spelling and writing. Results: Morphological knowledge explained 26% of the variance in spelling, though its unique effect declined after controlling for vocabulary and reading. Moderate correlations were found between the morphological knowledge task and all spelling measures (r = 0.43–0.48), indicating broad relevance across formats. Spelling was also strongly associated with writing scores (r = 0.57–0.63), underscoring the role of transcription in writing. Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of morphological knowledge in adolescent literacy and support the integration of morphology‐focused instruction and assessment in secondary classrooms. Implications for task design, assessment validity and future research in curriculum‐aligned literacy practices are discussed. Summary: What Is Already Known About This Topic: Morphological knowledge supports spelling and broader literacy.Spelling performance is strongly associated with writing performance.There is very little research on the relationships between morphological knowledge and literacy skills in secondary students. What This Paper Adds: This paper is the first to assess adolescent spelling using curriculum‐relevant, morphologically complex words.Morphological knowledge is uniquely associated with spelling performance in adolescents, even after controlling for other literacy‐related skills.Spelling is strongly associated with writing performance in secondary students. Implications for Theory, Policy or Practice: Morphological knowledge continues to play a critical role in spelling development beyond primary school.The use of ecologically valid, curriculum‐aligned assessments has the potential to make findings more directly applicable to classroom instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Research in Reading is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Relationships Between Morphological Knowledge, Spelling and Writing in Adolescents.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Terradas%2C+Jessica+Colleu%22">Terradas, Jessica Colleu</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Colenbrander%2C+Danielle%22">Colenbrander, Danielle</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Parrila%2C+Rauno%22">Parrila, Rauno</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Castles%2C+Anne%22">Castles, Anne</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Research+in+Reading%22">Journal of Research in Reading</searchLink>. May2026, Vol. 49 Issue 2, p1-12. 12p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Orthography+%26+spelling%22">Orthography & spelling</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Writing+education%22">Writing education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Secondary+education%22">Secondary education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teenagers%22">Teenagers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Curriculum-based+assessment%22">Curriculum-based assessment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Morphology+%28Grammar%29%22">Morphology (Grammar)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Literacy%22">Literacy</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Background: Spelling proficiency is crucial for expressing abstract ideas in writing. In secondary school, students are increasingly required to spell morphologically complex, subject‐specific words, but such words are challenging to spell, and few studies have investigated how morphological knowledge contributes to spelling and writing performance in secondary students. Methods: Two hundred and sixty‐six Year 7 students (M = 13 years, 1 month; SD = 4 months) from seven Australian schools completed a task of curriculum‐relevant morphologically complex spelling, as well as tasks of morphological knowledge, standardised spelling, vocabulary, reading fluency and cognitive ability. Writing quality was indexed by National Assessment Program–Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) scores. Correlational and regression analyses examined relationships between morphological knowledge, spelling and writing. Results: Morphological knowledge explained 26% of the variance in spelling, though its unique effect declined after controlling for vocabulary and reading. Moderate correlations were found between the morphological knowledge task and all spelling measures (r = 0.43–0.48), indicating broad relevance across formats. Spelling was also strongly associated with writing scores (r = 0.57–0.63), underscoring the role of transcription in writing. Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of morphological knowledge in adolescent literacy and support the integration of morphology‐focused instruction and assessment in secondary classrooms. Implications for task design, assessment validity and future research in curriculum‐aligned literacy practices are discussed. Summary: What Is Already Known About This Topic: Morphological knowledge supports spelling and broader literacy.Spelling performance is strongly associated with writing performance.There is very little research on the relationships between morphological knowledge and literacy skills in secondary students. What This Paper Adds: This paper is the first to assess adolescent spelling using curriculum‐relevant, morphologically complex words.Morphological knowledge is uniquely associated with spelling performance in adolescents, even after controlling for other literacy‐related skills.Spelling is strongly associated with writing performance in secondary students. Implications for Theory, Policy or Practice: Morphological knowledge continues to play a critical role in spelling development beyond primary school.The use of ecologically valid, curriculum‐aligned assessments has the potential to make findings more directly applicable to classroom instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Research in Reading is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=194053076
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1111/1467-9817.70028
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 12
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      – SubjectFull: Orthography & spelling
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Writing education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Secondary education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Teenagers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Curriculum-based assessment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Morphology (Grammar)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Literacy
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Relationships Between Morphological Knowledge, Spelling and Writing in Adolescents.
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            NameFull: Terradas, Jessica Colleu
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            NameFull: Colenbrander, Danielle
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            NameFull: Parrila, Rauno
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            – D: 01
              M: 05
              Text: May2026
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              Y: 2026
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              Value: 49
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