ABSTRACT
It is my thesis that Vygotsky's theory, as described in the previous chapter, can serve as a powerful framework for understanding the development of children's writing and, further, that the course of such development can test aspects of the theory. By closely tracking (a) children's emerging writing behaviors, (b) the social and instructional context within which they occur, and (c) the assistance provided by peers and teachers through verbal mediation, it should be possible to identify the phases of development that Vygotsky has described.
