The Effects of Massed versus Spaced Formats in Teaching Sound-Symbol Correspondences to Young Children

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Twenty-eight first graders were taught letter-sound correspondences according to massed and spaced formats. One group received a spaced format on i and massed format on e, and the other received a spaced format on e, and massed format on J. A paired associated format required children to produce the appropriate sounds in response to visually presented letters ( e, m, s, c, i). Compared to the massed format, correct responses to the letter presented according to the spaced format were more frequent on the posttest (72% versus 38%), though less frequent during training (56% versus 74%). The findings extended the superiority of spaced presentations to younger subjects and academically relevant stimuli.