The students’ perception of the value or utility they attribute to a particular activity (e. g, learning) affects their behavior, namely interest and involvement in the task, which will condition their performance (Wigfield & Eccles, 2002). Specially because, according to Bandura, Barbaranelli, Caprara, and Pastorelli (1996), "among the mechanisms of personal agency, none is more central than people's beliefs in their ability to exercise control over their levels of functioning or on environmental aspects "(p.1026). In pedagogical terms, students' perceptions regarding their knowledge and writing skills are particularly important in the sense that they can adapt the practices to the characteristics and needs of the students, promoting the improvement of writing performance since "students who believe that their writing skills, knowledge, and performance will improve with persistent effort are more motivated to perform well and are more willing to seek help when they need it."(Vue et al., 2015, p.3). Previous investigations have analyzed the performance and influence of students' perceptions on their knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy in writing (e.g. Brunning et al, 2013; Graham, Berninger, & Abbott, 2012; Bandura 1986). However, in Portugal it is not known this information regarding 4th grade students. So, this study aimed to describe and evaluate the average performance of 4th grade students attending school in the city of Braga (Portugal) in the area of writing opinion essays, as well as their perceptions in relation to their knowledge of writing, motivation and self-efficacy.

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Writing performance,4th grade,Opinion essays