Issues in Writing Research

The acquisition of adequate orthographic competences constitutes a crucial stage in the achievement of advanced writing abilities. In the study of the development of writing abilities during first grades in primary school, the child is expected to master instrumental writing and then to devote this competence to more articulated uses of writing . The study was devoted to exploring better the nature of the abilities comprising notational knowledge and the differentiating processes between drawing and emergent writing in Italian students (3-5 years old). In particular, we sought : 1. To examine the processes by which representational systems emerge and develop in Italian children 3–5 years old; 2. to elucidate the relationships and distinctions between drawing and writing; 3. to examine the role of the visuo-motor ability.