A study investigated the source of teacher frustration concerning their students' spelling abilities and whether or not word study increases retention as opposed to a traditional approach to spelling instruction. Subjects, 16 fifth-grade students at a public school in a suburban area of central Virginia, were formed into groups based on performance on a qualitative inventory of word knowledge. Subjects were exposed to a word study approach to spelling instruction for two weeks. Posttests were administered at the end of each week of instruction, and retention tests were administered two weeks after completion of instruction. Results indicated that: (1) no significant difference between posttest scores of the group and the year-to-date average; (2) none of the instructional groups showed statistically significant increases on the posttests; and (3) one group scored significantly higher on the retention test after the word study instruction, another group's scores neared statistical significance, and the third group scored better after traditional instruction than after word study instruction. A survey (completed by 16 of the 32 teachers at the school) of the teaching staff investigated whether a correlation existed between the teachers' comfort level with word study instruction and their implementation of a word study program. Results indicated a positive correlation which did not reach statistical significance; a high percentage of teachers who did not implement basic aspects of a word study approach; and a low comfort level. (Contains 20 references and eight unnumbered figures of data.) (RS)