Piero Boscolo has investigated many aspects of writing as his scientific
publications document. He has published studies about the production of
narrative and expository texts, the written synthesis from multiple sources,
writing as a learning tool, instructional strategies for teaching to write, readingwriting
relationship, the multiple meanings of motivation to writing, and writing
in elementary school.
We have therefore chosen the topic of writing as a wide-ranging catalyst for
this Festschrift in honour of Piero Boscolo. Many colleagues and friends have
collaborated, writing on their research endeavors to honour a great mentor, a
very respected Italian colleague, and a distinguished international colleague.
The contributions to this Festschrift cover a wide range of themes and
questions in current writing research. The chapters address rhetorical,
psychological, and educational issues. The theoretical debate on the cognitioncontext
issue in writing research is introduced in the chapter by Nancy Nelson.
The relationship between emergent literacy and the written production of words
and sentences is examined by Giuliana Pinto and Monica Camilloni. A closely
related issue of the onset of syllabic and alphabetic writings in five-year-old
children is introduced in the chapter by Clotilde Pontecorvo and Franca Rossi.
Agreement errors in verb-noun homophones are discussed by Michel Fayol, who
reports an experiment regarding the French language.
Issues of comprehension and revision of texts are considered by Lucia
Lumbelli, who examines the cognitive processes implied in understanding
problematic anaphors. The writing of university students is the focus of two
contributions. In one, Charles MacArthur and Zoi Philippakos report a research
project design aimed at developing and evaluating a curriculum for basic writing
PREFACE
7
classes in community colleges. In the other contribution Lerida Cisotto, Silvia
Del Longo, and Nazzarena Novello present a study on various aspects of
academic writing abilities in first-year prospective primary school teachers.
Motivational aspects are addressed by Ralph Ferretti and Williams Lewis, who
review and discuss educational practices that sustain motivation to write an
important text genre, the argumentative. Another text genre, the narrative, is
addressed in the chapter by Carmen Gelati, which discusses effective
interventions to sustain students' narrative writing.
The current state-of-the art in writing research in Europe is presented in the
contribution of Denis Alamargot, which regards a 'Cost Action' organized into
four Working Groups, each focusing on one key area of European writing
research.
This Festschrift also includes several shorter contributions related to some
poster presentations during the Writing Day in honour of Piero Boscolo (20
April, 2012). These contributions present studies involving students at all
educational levels from preschool to college, and also adults. The topics covered
give a wide-ranging review of research areas that share writing as their core.
Issues concerning the prediction and evaluation of orthographic skills in
preschoolers and first graders are addressed by Lucia Bigozzi, who reports a
longitudinal study in which the predictive powers of phonological competence,
textual competence, and notational competence as components of emergent
literacy are tested. Primary school students are involved in the study reported in
the contribution by Emiddia Longobardi, Marialuisa Renna, and Pietro Spataro,
which focuses on the relationship between narrative structure and the use of
mental state terms in their written stories.
The chapter by Anna M. Re, Daniela Lucangeli, and Cesare Cornoldi also
regards primary school students but with ADHD symptoms. These authors
investigate how expressive writing can be improved in these children through
appropriate educational interventions aimed at facilitating their writing activity.
Another population with special education needs is considered in the
contribution by Elena Tomasuolo and Maria Roccaforte, who are interested in
designing, producing and testing customizable e-learning environments for
promoting written language skills in deaf students at high school and university.
The close relationship between reading and writing within a knowledgebuilding
community is discussed in two contributions, one by Stefano
Cacciamani, who introduces a design-based research project to support the link
between the two activities, the other by Idalisa Cingolani and Christine Hamel,
who examine students' awareness of the importance of the two activities
performed in their community. The effectiveness of an intelligent tutorial system
to promote the skills of writing persuasive texts in high school students is the
PREFACE
8
focus of the contribution by Sergio Di Sano, Katia La Caprara, Adriana Rosa,
Roxanne Raine, and Danielle McNamara.
Elena Boldrini and Alberto Cattaneo focus on collaborative writing in
commercial employees apprentices (aged 14 to 18) as a tool for promoting
reflective thinking on workplace practices.
Academic writing skills in university students are investigated from two
points of view. One is from the perspective of primary teachers' approaches to,
and beliefs about, these skills, which is introduced in the contribution by Lerida
Cisotto, Silvia Del Longo, and Nazzarena Novello. The other is from the
perspective of the potential of the 'vicarious' effect in supporting academic
writing skills in students involved in an e-learning course, which is discussed in
the contribution by Beatrice Ligorio.
Difficulties related to the production of a poster as a multimedia product
that combines verbal and graphical information, are explored in the contribution
by Gisella Paoletti, who refers to novice and expert writers.
Expressive writing in female adults is examined in two contributions. In the
first Paola di Blasio tests whether the expression of emotions connected with
childbirth positively affects stress symptoms, since even for a normal childbirth,
women may have such an emotionally intense experience that leads to
posttraumatic stress symptoms. In the second contribution Vanda Zammuner
examines whether 'diary writing' increases emotional literacy in young adults
(80% women), who are solicited to be more aware of the causes, expressions,
and consequences of their and others' emotions.
A particular phenomenon related to the organization of written language, the
Spatial Agency Bias, is addressed in the contribution by Caterina Suitner and
Anne Maass, who report a cross-cultural comparison between Italian (left-toright
writing culture) and Malagasy (right-to-left writing culture).
In sum, a wide-ranging and diverse collection of scholarly works has been
assembled in this volume to highlight the many perspectives, themes, and issues
that characterize current writing research. Although many questions still remain
open and deserve further investigation, there are also findings that document the
advancement and impact of theoretical and empirical research about writing.

Preface
Carmen Gelati, Barbara Arfé, and Lucia Mason



ISBN:9788861298262
Collana: Scienze psicologiche
Autore: Gelati C., Arfè B., Mason L. a cura di
Edizione 2012
Stato: Disponibile