Collaborative Writing and Children’s Use of Literate Language: A Sequential Analysis of Social Interaction

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Research in children’s oral language and early literacy learning currently emphasizes the facilitative role of social context. This study examined the sequential interactions of first-grade students during collaborative writing to determine the ways in which peer collaboration relate to literate language use. Same gender dyads of seven- and eight-year-old children were observed during collaborative writing tasks and measures of oral language were collected. Sequential analyses of social interaction suggested that children’s use of literate language during collaborative writing tasks is related to various forms of social regulation such as offering assistance, checking, or guiding. The data support the proposition that social forms of regulation elicit literate language and self-regulation strategies. The results are discussed in terms of the role of social regulation in the context of peer collaboration.