diff --git a/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsIXFormsSelectChild.idl b/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsIXFormsSelectChild.idl
index a50f2f9a871..72a9772d8dd 100644
--- a/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsIXFormsSelectChild.idl
+++ b/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsIXFormsSelectChild.idl
@@ -77,13 +77,13 @@ interface nsIXFormsSelectChild : nsISupports
   void selectItemsByContent(in nsIDOMNode node);
 
   /**
-   * Instructs the item to serialize its selected elements into |container|.
+   * Instructs the item to serialize its selected elements.
    * For children that have a value child, they should append the value of
-   * any selected items to the text node child of |container|.  For children
+   * any selected items to the provided string buffer.  For children
    * that have a copy child, they should copy the instance data element into
    * |container|.
    */
-  void writeSelectedItems(in nsIDOMNode container);
+  void writeSelectedItems(in nsIDOMNode container, out AString stringBuffer);
 
   /**
    * Set the context node, position, and size to be used for XPath evaluation.
diff --git a/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsXFormsChoicesElement.cpp b/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsXFormsChoicesElement.cpp
index 724c3af1f7e..2908616cbfd 100644
--- a/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsXFormsChoicesElement.cpp
+++ b/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsXFormsChoicesElement.cpp
@@ -282,7 +282,8 @@ nsXFormsChoicesElement::SelectItemsByContent(nsIDOMNode *aNode)
 }
 
 NS_IMETHODIMP
-nsXFormsChoicesElement::WriteSelectedItems(nsIDOMNode *aContainer)
+nsXFormsChoicesElement::WriteSelectedItems(nsIDOMNode *aContainer, 
+                                           nsAString  &aStringBuffer)
 {
   nsCOMPtr<nsIDOMNodeList> children;
   nsresult rv = mElement->GetChildNodes(getter_AddRefs(children));
@@ -298,7 +299,7 @@ nsXFormsChoicesElement::WriteSelectedItems(nsIDOMNode *aContainer)
     children->Item(i, getter_AddRefs(childNode));
     childItem = do_QueryInterface(childNode);
     if (childItem) {
-      childItem->WriteSelectedItems(aContainer);
+      childItem->WriteSelectedItems(aContainer, aStringBuffer);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsXFormsItemElement.cpp b/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsXFormsItemElement.cpp
index be66de23bb1..709d7de8848 100644
--- a/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsXFormsItemElement.cpp
+++ b/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsXFormsItemElement.cpp
@@ -264,74 +264,23 @@ nsXFormsItemElement::SelectItemsByContent(nsIDOMNode *aNode)
 }
 
 NS_IMETHODIMP
-nsXFormsItemElement::WriteSelectedItems(nsIDOMNode *aContainer)
+nsXFormsItemElement::WriteSelectedItems(nsIDOMNode *aContainer, 
+                                        nsAString  &aStringBuffer)
 {
   PRBool selected;
   mOption->GetSelected(&selected);
   if (!selected)
     return NS_OK;
 
-  nsCOMPtr<nsIDOMNodeList> children;
-  nsresult rv = aContainer->GetChildNodes(getter_AddRefs(children));
-  NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);
-
-  PRUint32 childCount;
-  children->GetLength(&childCount);
-  nsCOMPtr<nsIDOMNode> child, textNode;
-
-  for (PRUint32 i = 0; i < childCount; ++i) {
-    children->Item(i, getter_AddRefs(child));
-
-    PRUint16 nodeType;
-    child->GetNodeType(&nodeType);
-    if (nodeType == nsIDOMNode::TEXT_NODE) {
-      textNode = child;
-      break;
-    }
-  }
-
-  if (!textNode) {
-    // No text node, so make one.
-    nsCOMPtr<nsIDOMDocument> doc;
-    aContainer->GetOwnerDocument(getter_AddRefs(doc));
-    NS_ENSURE_TRUE(doc, NS_ERROR_FAILURE);
-
-    nsCOMPtr<nsIDOMText> text;
-    rv = doc->CreateTextNode(EmptyString(), getter_AddRefs(text));
-    NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);
-
-    rv = aContainer->AppendChild(text, getter_AddRefs(child));
-    NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);
-
-    textNode = text;
-  }
-
-  NS_ASSERTION(textNode, "We should have a text node by now");
-
   nsAutoString value;
-  rv = GetValue(value);
+  nsresult rv = GetValue(value);
   NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);
 
-  nsCOMPtr<nsIModelElementPrivate> model = nsXFormsUtils::GetModel(mElement,
-                                                                   0);
-  nsCOMPtr<nsIDOMNode> modelNode = do_QueryInterface(model);
-  NS_ENSURE_STATE(modelNode);
-
-  /// @todo beaufour: The update code should probably not be here.
-  ///       @see https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=278207
-  ///       Wherever its final resting place might be, it should be shared
-  ///       with the code in nsXFormsInputElement
-
-  PRBool changed;
-  rv = model->SetNodeValue(textNode, value, &changed);
-  NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);
-  if (changed) {
-    rv = nsXFormsUtils::DispatchEvent(modelNode, eEvent_Recalculate);
-    NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);
-    rv = nsXFormsUtils::DispatchEvent(modelNode, eEvent_Revalidate);
-    NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);        
-    rv = nsXFormsUtils::DispatchEvent(modelNode, eEvent_Refresh);
-    NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);        
+  if(aStringBuffer.IsEmpty()){
+    aStringBuffer.Append(value);
+  }
+  else{
+    aStringBuffer.Append(NS_LITERAL_STRING(" ") + value);
   }
 
   return NS_OK;
diff --git a/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsXFormsItemSetElement.cpp b/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsXFormsItemSetElement.cpp
index 94637063595..7b668f211e6 100644
--- a/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsXFormsItemSetElement.cpp
+++ b/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsXFormsItemSetElement.cpp
@@ -208,7 +208,8 @@ nsXFormsItemSetElement::SelectItemsByContent(nsIDOMNode *aNode)
 }
 
 NS_IMETHODIMP
-nsXFormsItemSetElement::WriteSelectedItems(nsIDOMNode *aContainer)
+nsXFormsItemSetElement::WriteSelectedItems(nsIDOMNode *aContainer, 
+                                           nsAString  &aStringBuffer)
 {
   return NS_OK;
 }
diff --git a/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsXFormsSelectElement.cpp b/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsXFormsSelectElement.cpp
index 23a9054d1e3..028f31cf9e4 100644
--- a/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsXFormsSelectElement.cpp
+++ b/mozilla/extensions/xforms/nsXFormsSelectElement.cpp
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ nsXFormsSelectElement::HandleEvent(nsIDOMEvent *aEvent)
   if ((isIncremental && type.EqualsLiteral("change")) ||
       (!isIncremental && type.EqualsLiteral("blur"))) {
 
-    if (!mBoundNode)
+    if (!mBoundNode || !mModel)
       return NS_OK;
 
     // Update the instance data with our selected items.
@@ -376,13 +376,34 @@ nsXFormsSelectElement::HandleEvent(nsIDOMEvent *aEvent)
     PRUint32 childCount;
     children->GetLength(&childCount);
 
+    nsAutoString stringBuffer;
     for (PRUint32 i = 0; i < childCount; ++i) {
       children->Item(i, getter_AddRefs(child));
       childItem = do_QueryInterface(child);
       if (childItem) {
-        childItem->WriteSelectedItems(mBoundNode);
+        // This will go item by item, looking for selected nodes.  For every
+        // selected option that it finds, it will append the option's value
+        // to the string buffer (for childItems that are not xforms:itemset's).
+        childItem->WriteSelectedItems(mBoundNode, stringBuffer);
       }
     }
+
+    PRBool changed = PR_FALSE;
+
+    rv = mModel->SetNodeValue(mBoundNode, stringBuffer, &changed);
+    NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);
+
+    if (changed) {
+      nsCOMPtr<nsIDOMNode> modelNode = do_QueryInterface(mModel);
+      NS_ENSURE_STATE(modelNode);
+    
+      rv = nsXFormsUtils::DispatchEvent(modelNode, eEvent_Recalculate);
+      NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);
+      rv = nsXFormsUtils::DispatchEvent(modelNode, eEvent_Revalidate);
+      NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);        
+      rv = nsXFormsUtils::DispatchEvent(modelNode, eEvent_Refresh);
+      NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);        
+    }
   }
 
   return NS_OK;