Concepts About Writing: Native Children in a Cross-cultural Setting

Abstract

Native and non-Native children in primary classrooms in Lytton, British Colum­bia, were interviewed about their attitudes toward writing. The series of struc­tured interviews elicited information from grade 1 and 2 students on their perceptions concerning the general purposes of writing, personal writing prefer­ences, and their self-concepts as writers. Most children had positive self-images of themselves as writers and enjoyed writing at home and at school. There were dif­ferences between Native and non-Native children in their awareness of the pur­ poses of writing. Native children saw their extended families as more important audiences for their writing than did non-Native children. The findings indicate that families of the Native children in this community were supportive of their children's writing activities.