Just as reading can be undertaken in either a mechanical or a comprehensive manner, written composition can also be undertaken in a mechanical or reflective manner. This article reviews the aspects that potentially makes writing a particularly powerfull instrument for intellectual self-regulation and awareness. It also analyses the role that some composition models assign to the writing process, which is viewed as an instrument for the development and construction of personal knowledge. After analysing the intrinsic nature of this writing function, the article concludes with a discussion on the role of instruction on reflective writing, and the need to integrate this particular learning within the general framework of school learning.

Este artículo presenta resultados de una investigación que identifica y caracteriza las tareas de lectura y escritura que se proponen y realizan para aprender. Se utilizó un diseño cuasiexperimental "ex post facto", con tres variables independientes: rol (profesor, alumno), nivel educativo (primero y segundo ciclo de ESO, Bachillerato y Universidad) y dominio de conocimiento (social, natural). Las variables dependientes fueron la frecuencia de las tareas y sus características. Las respuestas de 214 profesores y 646 alumnos a cuestionarios fueron sometidas a diversos análisis estadísticos. Los resultados muestran que las tareas favorecedoras del aprendizaje constructivo son escasas, y en general, un panorama más tradicional de lo esperable. Palabras clave: Lectura y escritura epistémicas, adquisición del conocimiento, dominios específicos, educación secundaria, educación universitaria.

The case study reported here explores the processes involved in producing a written synthesis of three history texts and their possible relation to the characteristics of the texts produced and the degree of comprehension achieved following the task. The processes carried out by 10 final-year compulsory education students (15 and 16 years old) to produce their syntheses, including the integrations they verbalized while performing the task, were examined in detail with a double-analysis system. The results revealed a tendency for the students who engaged in more elaborative patterns to make more integrations and produce better texts. These students seemed to benefit more from the task in terms of comprehension. Conversely, the students who followed a more reproductive pattern by and large copied ideas from the source texts and achieved low levels of comprehension.

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