According to a language-integrated view of spelling development, learning to spell involves the same language-learning skills across alphabetic systems. A prediction based on this view is that the same spelling training should be equally effective for learning to spell in a shallow (Italian, native language) or an opaque (English, additional language) orthography. We tested this prediction by teaching 6- to 9-year-old Italian children to use multiletter spelling units to spell words in Italian and English. The children were trained on the spelling of Italian words containing orthographic difficulties that required switching from phoneme–grapheme spelling correspondences to larger grain size (multiletter) spelling units. In a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial, 108 Italian children (ages 6–9 years) were assigned to the experimental spelling training or a waiting list condition. Their ability to spell the trained (Italian and English) word lists and to generalize the acquired knowledge to new (untrained) words was assessed. Similar learning effects were found in the two languages for the trained word lists. However, generalization of the acquired spelling knowledge to new words occurred only in English. The influence of language-specific factors on learning to spell could account for these findings.

根据拼写发展的语言综合观点，学习拼写涉及跨字母系统的相同语言学习技能。基于这种观点的预测是，相同的拼写训练对于学习浅（意大利语，母语）或不透明（英语，附加语言）正字法的拼写应该同样有效。我们通过教 6 至 9 岁的意大利儿童使用多字母拼写单位来拼写意大利语和英语单词来测试这一预测。孩子们接受了意大利语单词拼写的培训，这些单词包含拼写困难，需要从音素-字素拼写对应转换为更大粒度（多字母）的拼写单元。在阶梯楔形整群随机试验中，108 名意大利儿童（6-9 岁）被分配到实验拼写训练或等待名单条件。评估了他们拼写训练过的（意大利语和英语）单词列表以及将获得的知识概括为新的（未经训练的）单词的能力。对于训练过的单词列表，在两种语言中发现了类似的学习效果。然而，将获得的拼写知识推广到新词只发生在英语中。语言特定因素对学习拼写的影响可以解释这些发现。将获得的拼写知识推广到新词只发生在英语中。语言特定因素对学习拼写的影响可以解释这些发现。将获得的拼写知识推广到新词只发生在英语中。语言特定因素对学习拼写的影响可以解释这些发现。