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

The present research investigates the employment of cognitive and metacognitive strategies by bilingual pupils and the processes followed when they compose a short story in Greek (L2). The sample was comprised by 43 pupils enrolling in the 5th and 6th grade of Primary School. Data was collected through think-aloud protocols and individual retrospective interviews. The findings revealed variations between the two levels of language proficiency (good-weak writers) and types of bilingualism (simultaneous-successive) in terms of employing effective strategies and flexibility in strategy choice. Pupils' difficulties were focused in the selection of appropriate vocabulary and organization of ideas.