Cognitive demands on the process of narrative writing in Slovak children
Submitted by:
Martin Klimovič
Abstract:
When writing a story, children aged from 9 to 11 differ in the quality of narrative as well as in the way they write. The quality of narrative depends on maturation, cognition and linguistic/text knowledge of the writer (Flower, Hayes 1981; Kellogg 1994). The paper focuses on some cognitive aspects (working memory, writing fluency, verbal fluency) and their role in the process of writing. In Slovakia, there is a minimum scientific verification of their importance in relation to cognitive processes of planning, translating and reviewing. In the study, twenty-three 4th graders (aged 9 – 11) were asked to write a story based on the picture. The process of story writing was divided into three stages. First, the writers were asked to answer the questions about the picture and write their reactions into the notepads (planning stage). Then, children wrote stories and could use their ideas from their notepads (translating stage). After finishing, they were asked to revise their texts using a pen with different color of ink (reviewing stage). Before writing, cognitive aspects of the writers were tested by relevant measurement tools (working memory complex span, handwriting speed test, D-KEFS Verbal Fluency Test). The comparison of the results showed that the writers with different cognitive features (higher/lower working memory capacity, higher/lower writing fluency, higher/lower verbal fluency) used different approaches when writing a story. The research also revealed the tendency of children to search for proper solutions for narrative components (e. g. plot, character) in the process of translating. The research saw support from APVV grant agency (No. APVV-15-0273).
References
Flower, L. & J. R. Hayes (1981). A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing. College Composition and Communication, 32 (4): 365–387.
Kellogg, R. T. (1994). The Psychology of Writing. New York: Oxford University Press.