This longitudinal case study investigated the development of spelling and orthographic knowledge in a child ESL learner from Grade 1 through Grade 4. Misspelling data from the learner’s free writings were examined for overall patterns of spelling development and the word-specific changes in the spelling of individual words. The aim was to track the developmental changes taking place in his spelling behaviour and also examine whether any stage like pattern of development could be identified in his spelling performance.
Analysis of data showed that although the child’s overall developmental path was progressive in that he produced increasingly more complex orthographic spellings over time, there was a high degree of variability in the learner’s misspelling behaviour. Thus, overall, the spelling performance of this ESL learner can be best explained by a spelling model that views the path of spelling development as strategic, overlapping and wave-like rather than truly stage-like.