Skip to main content
Log in

A Classroom Investigation of the Growth of Metacognitive Awareness in Kindergarten Children Through the Writing Process

  • Published:
Early Childhood Education Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study investigated the presence and growth of kindergarten children's metacognition as they engaged in the writing process. The study was conducted in an environment that surrounded children with books, language, and print. Twice a month the teacher/researcher interviewed the children as they finished writing, asking questions designed to help them reflect on their thinking and strategies they used in their writing. Anecdotal records, observations, and individual writing folders were used to complete a checklist of writing strategies for each child. Interviews with the children confirmed that they were exhibiting and showing growth in their metacognition. They were able to provide appropriate answers to questions that required them to talk about their thinking and identify strategies that helped them in their writing. The study provides a model that could be used in classrooms to help children in the development of their growing metacognition and writing in an authentic learning environment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Burns, M. S., & Snow, C. E. (Eds.). (1999). Starting out right: A guide to promoting children's reading success. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cambourne, B., & Turbill, J. (1987). Coping with chaos. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campione, J. C., & Brown, A. L. (1985). Dynamic assessment: One approach and some initial data. (Technical Report No. 361). Urbana: Illinois University, Center for the Study of Reading. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 269 735)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dyson, A. H. (1990). On teaching writing: A review of the literature (Occasional Paper No. 20). Berkeley: University of California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrari, M., & Sternberg, R. (1998). The development of mental abilities and styles. In W. Damon, D. Kuhn, & R. Siegler (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology, Vol. 2 (5th Ed.), Cognition, perception and language (pp. 899–946). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring. American Psychologist, 34, 906–911.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flavell, J. H., & Miller, P. H. (1998). Social cognition. In W. Damon, D. Kuhn, & R. Siegler (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology, Vol. 2 (5th Ed.), Cognition, perception and language (pp. 851–898). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox, R. (2001). Helping young writers at the point of writing. Language and Education, 15, 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gagné, E. (1985). The cognitive psychology of school learning. Boston: Little, Brown and Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, Y. (1986). Children coming to know literacy. In W. H. Teale and E. Sulzby (Eds.), Emergent literacy (pp. 1–14). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graves, D. (1994). A fresh look at writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martinez, M., & Teale, W. H. (1987). The ins and outs of a kindergarten writing program. Reading Teacher, 40, 444–451.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGee, L. M., & Richgels, D. J. (2000). Literacy's beginnings: Supporting young readers and writers. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neuman, S., Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2000). Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, C. B. (1992). Thinking/writing: Fostering critical thinking through writing. New York: HarperCollins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, D. R., & Astington, J. W. (1993). Thinking about thinking: Learning how to take statements and hold beliefs. Educational Psychologist, 28, 7–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perkins, D., Jay, E., & Tishman, S. (1993a). New conceptions of thinking: From ontology to education. Educational Psychologist, 28, 67–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perkins, D., Jay, E., & Tishman, S. (1993b). Introduction: New conceptions of thinking. Educational Psychologist, 28, 2–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sperling, R. A., Walls, R. T., & Hill, L. A. (2000). Early relationships among self-regulatory constructs: Theory of mind and preschool children's problem solving. Child Study Journal, 30, 233–252.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sulzby, E. (1996). Roles of oral and written language as children approach conventional literacy. In C. Pontevecorvo, M. Orsolini, B. Burge, & L. B. Resnick (Eds.), Children's early text construction (pp. 25–46). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teale, W.H. (1988). Developmentally appropriate assessment of reading and writing in the early childhood classroom. The Elementary School Journal, 89, 173–183.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society (M. Cole, V. John Steiner, S. Scribner, W. Souberman, Trans.) Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Originally published in 1930

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Jacobs, G.M. A Classroom Investigation of the Growth of Metacognitive Awareness in Kindergarten Children Through the Writing Process. Early Childhood Education Journal 32, 17–23 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:ECEJ.0000039639.70536.13

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:ECEJ.0000039639.70536.13

Navigation