Young writers' use of text structure in expository text generation.

Although few studies have examined children's use of text structure in writing, knowledge of text structure is presumed to be an important strategy underlying effective expository text generation. The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of writers at two ages and three ability levels in generating textually consistent superordinate main ideas and subordinate details for three types of text structures. Analyses revealed significant main effects for grade, ability, and text type. More proficient writers seemed to possess a more generalized knowledge of text structure that they applied at both the superordinate and subordinate levels, whereas less proficient writers seemed to perform best in writing subordinate details. The findings supported the conclusion that knowledge of text structure was developmentally acquired, and that text structures varied in their saliency to young writers, although the majority of writers at both grade levels remained largely insensitive to text structure in composition.