Writing as a meaningful activity

Writing processes have been studied extensively from the cognitive point of view, but little attention has been given to the affective aspects of this activity. In fact, writing experience seems to be relevant to a person not only because it is a complex cognitive activity, but also because it often has an affective characterization. The aim of the present study was to investigate writing as a meaningful activity, that is, to analyze the way in which pupils of different grade levels construe this activity. The study was divided into two phases: (a) interviews with pupils in order to select relevant elements (i.e., writing situations and contexts) and (b) subjects' elicitation of constructs and evaluation of elements. From the qualitative and quantitative analyses of the grids, a developmental trend emerged. Whereas the younger subjects frequently elicited constructs related to the affective dimension of writing, as age increased, the cognitive dimension became more evident.