A writer's evaluation of text plays critical, but little examined, roles in the writer's production of text and development as writer. Twenty students, grades 2-6, ranked unevaluated sets of compositions that they or anonymous peers had written; they then were prompted to discuss the factors upon which their rankings were based. Analysis of their evaluations suggests that bases for evaluations can be described in four categories: feelings aroused by text; responses to surface features; responses to text as understood; responses to craftsmanship.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Applebee, A.
(1978). The child's concept of story. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
2.
Bereiter, C.
(1980). Development in writing. In L. W. Gregg & E. W. Steinberg (Eds.), Cognitive processes in writing. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence J. Erlbaum.
3.
Clay, M.
(1982). Learning and teaching writing: A developmental perspective. Language Arts, 59, 65-70.
4.
Emig, J.
(1982). Inquiry paradigms and writing. College Composition and Communication, 33, 64-75.
5.
Flower, L.
, & Hayes, J. R. (1981). A cognitive process theory of writing. College Composition and Communication, 32, 365-387.
6.
Graves, D.
(1982). How do writers develop?Language Arts, 59, 173-179.
7.
Graves, D.
(1983). Writing: Teachers and children at work. Exeter, N.H.: Heinemann.
8.
Jacobs, S.
, & Hilgers, T. (1983). Children in a writing environment. Paper delivered at National Council Teachers of English Conference, Denver.
9.
Lunsford, A.
(1979). Cognitive development and the basic writer. College English, 41, 39-46.
10.
Miler, S.
(1982). How writers evaluate their own writing. College Composition and Communication, 33, 176-183.
11.
Newkirk, T.
(1982). Young children as critical readers. Language Arts, 59, 451-457.
12.
Nold, E.
(1981). Revising. In C.H. Frederiksen & J. F. Dominic (Eds.), Writing: The nature, development, and teaching of written communication. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence J. Erlbaum.
13.
Scardamalia, M.
(1981). How children cope with the cognitive demands of writing. In C.H. Frederiksen & J.F. Dominic (Eds.), Writing: The nature, development, and teaching of written communication. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence J. Erlbaum.
14.
Shaughnessy, M.
(1977). Errors and expectations: A guide for teachers of basic writing. New York: Oxford University Press.