The Employment of Cognitive and Metacognitive Strategies in Bilingual Pupils’ Creative Writing

Abstract

The present research investigates the employment of cognitive andmetacognitive strategies by bilingual pupils and the processes followedwhen they compose a short story in Greek (L2). The sample was comprisedby 43 pupils enrolling in the 5th and 6th grade of Primary School. Datawas collected through think-aloud protocols and individual retrospectiveinterviews. The findings revealed variations between the two levels oflanguage proficiency (good-weak writers) and types of bilingualism(simultaneous-successive) in terms of employing effective strategies andflexibility in strategy choice. Pupils' difficulties were focused in theselection of appropriate vocabulary and organization of ideas.