The purpose of this study was to describe the development of the writing process behaviors of kindergarten children as demonstrated in an informal classroom writing center. In this five-month long investigation, a qualitative, descriptive case study methodology was employed. The researcher assumed the role of participant observer in a self contained, public school kindergarten in which a writing center had been established. While all of the children in this classroom participated in the study, 6 case study subjects were selected, by means of purposeful sampling, from each of three developmental levels; low, average and high, as represented on the Leon Inventory of Kindergarten Entering Skills. One boy and one girl were chosen to represent each developmental level. Data collection consisted of compiling background information, observing and recording writing process behaviors, and interviewing case study subjects. Data were also collected and analyzed for information related to written product information contained in each of the subject's writing folders. Analysis of the data resulted in the compilation of narrative descriptions of the writing process behaviors of each of these six case study subjects. These are organized according to information related to the subject's background, the writing process; including prewriting, writing, rewriting, concepts of print, invented spelling, accompanying language and other measures of development. Overall class data were also reported in relation to material contained in the individual student writing folders. Based on this information, questions and hypotheses were generated regarding the development of the writing process behaviors of kindergarten children. These included that: (a) some kindergarten children do not differentiate between the concepts of drawing and writing and do not develop this knowledge during the first half of the school year, (b) the predominant use of language while writing is interactional, (c) some kindergarten children engage in consciously stated prewriting plans and some do not, (d) the classroom theme unit, home environments, previous experiences and peers all exert some influence on kindergarten children's writing, (e) kindergarten children engage in invented spelling which moves through two phases of invention during the first half of the school year, and (f) kindergarten children prefer to write with marker on unlined paper in horizontal position. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-04, Section: A, page: 0889. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75529 |
| Creators | Bauman, Gail A |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 330 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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