In which spelling development stage does a child begin to focus on visual representation and understanding word structure?

In the spelling development process, the Transitional Stage is characterized by a child's growing awareness of how words are visually constructed and how they fit together based on phonetic patterns and spelling rules. During this stage, children start to incorporate more standard spelling rules into their writing, reflecting an understanding of morphology (the structure of words) and orthography (the conventional spelling system).

At this point, children may experiment with spelling variations as they begin to apply their knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, and other word formations. They demonstrate a shift from relying solely on phonetic sounds to considering how words are represented visually and structurally in written form. This reflects a deeper cognitive process, where they bridge their early phonetic spelling skills with more conventional spelling practices.

Other stages, while important in their own right, either emphasize sound over structure or do not specifically address the visual representation aspect of spelling. Thus, the focus on word structure and visual representation is indicative of the Transitional Stage in spelling development.