Communicating with intent: A study of social awareness and children's writing

This research examined relationships between children's social awareness (ability to understand and negotiate intergroup relationships) and their narrative and persuasive writing. Forty 5th grade students wrote a short fictional narrative and a persuasive letter to their principal. Writing samples were coded for quality, form, and social awareness. Students also completed a questionnaire assessing their capacity to understand and negotiate social relationships. Scores from literacy assessments in vocabulary, reading, and reading comprehension were also obtained. Results suggest that children's quality of writing depends on both literacy and social skills. There was a positive relationship between social awareness and quality of writing in persuasive letters, controlling for vocabulary and demographic characteristics. In narratives, the positive effect was moderated by students' reading skill. The magnitude of the social awareness effect was stronger in the narratives of children who were below average readers, controlling for background characteristics. The paper highlights the educational importance of teaching both social and literacy skills in the classroom.