Actual and Self-perceived Spelling Accuracy in Kuwaiti EFL Students: Some Practical and Theoretical Implications

Abstract

A spelling elicitation test on common English spelling errors already collected from native Arabic-speaking students was devised and administered to 25 Remedial and 25 Fourth Year students from the English Department of Kuwait University. In addition to providing the targetted words, students were also required to score each response as follows: 4 if they were sure they had spelled the word correctly, 3 if they felt it was probably correct, 2 if they felt it was probably wrong, and 1 if they felt it was definitely wrong. Results showed that there was no significant difference between the two groups on the self-ratings, with both showing a high level of confidence over IN1RODUCTION the accuracy of their spelling whether they were spelling words correctly or incorrectly. Since, in general, both groups' actual spelling accuracy was far lower than their self-perceived spelling accuracy, this points to a situation in which students do not know that they do not know. A personality test administered to the students showed a strong bias towards extra-version and a correlation was found between scores on spelling confidence and degree of extraversion. The findings are discussed from the point of view of their implications for (a) methods of collecting spelling errors for analytical study and (b) the Monitor model.