Temporal organization in narrative texts of 8-11-year olds

Abstract

The present work focuses on the temporal organization of narratives written by pupils aged 8-11. In this paper, we analyze 180 texts produced by elementary school children (60 texts from pupils aged 8-9, 60 texts from pupils aged 9-10, 60 texts from pupils aged 10-11) in response to a common writing instruction prompt in which the beginning and end of the text are given. The different temporal movements (chronological succession, backward and forward movements) are cataloged, categorized, and analyzed. The study reveals, on the one hand, that all pupils, regardless of their grade level, integrate temporal movements in their texts. On the other hand, it shows that differences appear according to class level: as class level increases the different movements tend to develop with their own specificity conveying more thickness and coherence to the text.