Topp-Write: Towards a developmental writing model: Identification of cognitive predictors underlying writing skills in German

• Applicant: Privatdozentin Dr. Kristina Moll
• Subject Area: Developmental and Educational Psychology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 456267474

Wider research context: Correct spelling and written text production (writing) play a crucial role across various school subjects and form the foundation of written communication. Essay writing is a core component of the curriculum from elementary school onward and is essential for success in final school exams. Poor writing skills have negative consequences beyond school, affecting professional life, such as when writing applications or emails. Despite their significance, spelling and writing have received less research attention compared to reading and reading comprehension. As a result, the developmental trajectories of spelling and writing skills remain to be fully understood. Objectives: First, we aim to examine how the predictive patterns of spelling skills evolve from early primary to secondary school as orthographic knowledge increases (PART 1). Second, we will focus on the development of writing skills (PART 2), including: (a) The role of spelling in writing and its relationship with other cognitive predictors, such as language skills (PART 2a). (b) The associations and dissociations between the two advanced literacy skills - writing and reading comprehension (PART 2b). (c) The relationship between deficits in spelling and writing, which is of high clinical relevance for validating the new ICD-11 classification of learning disorders, where spelling and writing deficits are combined into a single diagnostic category (PART 2c). Methods: Topp-Write is a follow-up grant of the Topp-Spell project (DFG project 2022-2025), which focused on early spelling development until 3rd grade. The Topp-Write project will extend the investigation of spelling development into secondary school, utilizing the existing Topp-Spell sample (N = 328 at 3rd grade). Additionally, the project will focus on writing development by assessing potential predictors of writing at three time points in grades 4, 5, and 6. Longitudinal data will be analyzed using regression-based methods (i.e. SEMs). Finally, the relationship between spelling and writing skills will be explored by comparing writing abilities in children with poor spelling skills to those with typical spelling development. Level of innovation: This project is innovative in combining existing data on early spelling development from the Topp-Spell project with new data from the Topp-Write project. This provides the unique opportunity to examine spelling development over an extended period from kindergarten to secondary school in a large representative sample, allowing for the refinement of developmental spelling models. Furthermore, the project addresses an underexplored topic: the development of writing skills, which remains poorly understood. Together, these findings will contribute to refining current models of typical and atypical spelling and writing development, assessing the validity of the ICD-11 classification, and laying the foundation for effective writing interventions.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Gerd Schulte-Körne