ABSTRACT
Eight junior schoolteachers in three schools took part in an exploratory study to analyze their thinking in the preparation and implementation of writing lessons. It was intended to assess whether such an analysis would enable teachers to understand better their classroom practice and to identify more easily the difficulties involved in teaching writing. Data was gathered using the methods of stimulated recall and interview, and field notes were made by the researcher. It was found that in order to conceptualize some of the difficulties of teaching writing and consider strategies for change, teachers also had to draw upon evidence concerning pupils’ performance and the constraints upon their own practice. It is suggested that in order for research on teacher thinking to inform issues of teaching practice it may have to combine the investigation of the mental life of teachers and pupils and also the school context in which they work.
