On the basis of the results of the MCFA, the two first factorial axes were retained
(see Figure 1). The school grade variable achieved test value in both axes (kindergarten
on both axes; first grade and fourth grade only on Axis 1) whereas the sociocultural
variable only did so on Axis 1 (see Table 2). Axis 1 shows a developmental-educational
order in children’s graphic and oral representation of their own history as learners of
writing. Axis 2 principally reveals differences regarding the adjustment to the
conventionality of notational products. Modalities close to the intersection of both axes
(i.e. those that most children have presented) correspond to early stages in the learning
of writing: non-graphic stage þ , drawings þ , letters þ and names þ . Two main
groups were distinguished on the factorial plane, suggesting two different implicit
theories of learning.