Assimilative Processes in Composition Planning

Abstract

Writing, for both experts and novices, is viewed as a primarily assimilative process, the difficulty of which is largely determined by goals the writer imposes on the activity. Novices assimilate writing tasks to a knowledge‐telling strategy of low processing demand. Experts assimilate writing to a reflective planning strategy that places high demands on processing capabilities but that permits the writer to achieve personal goals at the same time that externally imposed goals are being met. A role for teachers is suggested that extends beyond setting meaningful writing goals and teaches students to construct personal goals that subsume external ones.