Young children's metacognition in the context of telling a written story

This study examines young children's metacognition in the context of telling a written story. The participants were 36 children: 12 preschoolers, 12 kindergarteners, and 12 first graders in a kindergarten and a nearby elementary school in a northwestern city in Taiwan. Each child was asked to ‘read’ a 13-page wordless picture book and tell a story that will be transcribed for others to read. Once each child finished telling the story, the scribe asked whether the child wished to revise it; the children's revisions were taken as indicative of metacognitive abilities. Results indicate that 33 out of 36 children demonstrated metacognition as they revised their stories. A significant difference with regards to the accuracy of the revisions was found among the three groups of children, with first graders producing significantly more accurate revisions than did the preschoolers. The implications for future research and practices for teachers are discussed.