Relations between orthographic knowledge and skills of writing textual production in different production situations

Author(s)

Gislaine Gasparin Nobile

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Ribeirão Preto.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (PCARP/BC)
• Defense date: 2013-08-26

Examining board members

Sylvia Domingos Barrera; Luciana Carla dos Santos Elias; Alina Galvão Spinillo

• Advisor: Sylvia Domingos Barrera

Abstract

The production of written texts depends, beyond the basic understanding of alphabetic code, also of knowledge about the orthographic rules as well as knowledge about the structure of different textual genres. Considering the complexity of learning of writing, which involves the development of metalinguistic abilities such as phonological, morphosyntactic and metatextual awareness, and the permanence of writing difficulties experienced by many children throughout schooling, this research aimed to investigate the relationship between the orthographic knowledge and text productions skills and analyze how different conditions affect the quality of the written texts. Participants were 72 students in the 5th grade of an elementary public school. Data collection was done through a request to write words for assessing the competence of spelling and a request for write narrative texts in three situations: free theme, from a sequence of figures from a story previously read (retelling). Data were analyzed according to the nature and frequency of spelling errors and by the classification of written productions in different categories. Descriptive statistical analyzes showed that the students presented poor spelling achievement and that the most frequent misspellings involved contextual or morphosyntactic regularities and irregular spellings. The more elaborate written texts productions were those made from visual (figures) and oral (retelling) supports. Inferential analyzes showed that there was a positive and moderate correlation between spelling correctly and writing more elaborated texts. We discuss the importance of explicit teaching of spelling rules, which involves the development of metaphonologic and metamorphosyntactic abilities, favoring the performance of spelling and collaborating to release cognitive resources to be used in the production of more elaborated texts. These, in turn, can benefit from educational interventions aimed at development of metatextual abilities, as well by the request of written texts supported by models suggesting a (narrative) structure more elaborated. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/15908-2 - Relationship between orthographic knowledge and abilities in text production in different production situtions.
• Grantee: Gislaine Gasparin Nobile
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master