Online Collaborative Writing via Google Docs: Case Studies in the EFL Classroom
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1206.08Keywords:
online collaborative writing, interaction patterns, EFL learners, language functions, writing change functions, team collaborationsAbstract
This article reported a case study investigating small group interaction patterns in online collaborative writing tasks and factors influencing team collaborations. Participants included six Asian EFL university students who formed two small groups and were engaged in two online collaborative writing tasks via Google Docs. Data collection included the participants’ use of writing change functions and language functions during the collaborative writing processes revealed through Google Docs archives and collaborative essays. Semi-structured interviews were employed to examine factors influencing small group collaborations. The findings revealed that the two teams exhibited divergent interaction patterns, but the patterns of interaction remained consistent within each group across both tasks. The qualitative content analysis showed factors that affected team collaborations were individual goals, learners’ English proficiency, individual roles, and the use of collaborative agency. The findings may help elucidate the divergence of online collaborative writing and provide insightful information for instructors to design collaborative writing activities and assist EFL learners in the co-construction of writing tasks.
References
Abe, M. (2020). Interactional practices for online collaborative writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 49,100752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2020.100752
Afify, M. K. (2019). The influence of group size in the asynchronous online discussions on the development of critical thinking skills, and on improving students’ performance in online discussion forum. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 14(5), 132-152.
Alghasab, M., Hardman, J., & Handley, Z. (2019). Teacher-student interaction on wikis: Fostering collaborative learning and writing. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 21, 10-20.
Alhadabi, A., & Karpinski, A. C. (2020). Grit, self-efficacy, achievement orientation goals, and academic performance in university students. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 519-535.
Andrew, M. (2019). Collaborating online with four different google apps: Benefits to learning and usefulness for future work. Journal of Asia TEFL, 16(4), 1268-1288.
Chen, W. (2019). An exploratory study on the role of L2 collaborative writing on learners’ subsequent individually composed texts. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 28(6), 563-573.
Dobao, A. F. (2014). Attention to form in collaborative writing tasks: Comparing pair and small group interaction. Canadian Modern Language Review, 70(2), 158-187.
Dong, Y., & Liu, S. (2020). Dynamic features of students’ scaffolding interaction in English writing class. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 10(6), 647-656. http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1006.04
Elabdali, R., & Arnold, N. (2020). Group dynamics across interaction modes in L2 collaborative wiki writing. Computers and Composition, 58, 1-17. doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2020.102607
Hammond, J., & Gibbons, P. (2005). Putting scaffolding to work: The contribution of scaffolding in articulating ESL education. Prospect, 20(1), 6-30.
Hanjani, A. M., & Li, L. (2014). Exploring L2 writers' collaborative revision interactions and their writing achievement. System, 44, 101-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2014.03.004
Hsiu-Chen Hsu. (2019). Wiki-mediated collaboration and its association with L2 writing development: an exploratory study. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 32 (8), 945-967.
Hsu, H. C. (2020). The impact of task complexity on patterns of interaction during web-based asynchronous collaborative writing tasks. System, 93, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102328
Kessler, G., Bikowski, D., & Boggs, J. (2012). Collaborative writing among second language learners in academic web-based projects. Language Learning & Technology, 16 (1), 91-109.
Krishnan, J., Yim, S., Wolters, A., & Cusimano, A. (2019). Supporting online synchronous collaborative writing in the secondary classroom. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 63(2), 135-145.
Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2004). Do online collaborative groups need leaders? In T. Roberts (Ed.), Online collaborative learning: Theory and practice (pp. 262-280). Hershey, PA: Information Science Publishing.
Langan, J., & Albright, Z.L. (2019). College writing skills with reading (10th Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Companies.
Lee, K. Y., & Hassell, D. G. (2021). Students’ attitudes and preferences towards Google Docs as a collaborative writing platform. International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching, 11(2), 1-15.
Li, M. (2013). Individual novices and collective experts: Collective scaffolding in wiki-based small group writing. System, 41(3), 752-769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2013.07.021
Li, M. (2014). Small group interactions in wiki-based collaborative writing in the EAP context. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of South Florida, FL: USA
Li, M., & Kim, D. (2016). One wiki, two groups: Dynamic interactions across ESL collaborative writing tasks. Journal of Second Language Writing, 31, 25-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2016.01.002
Li, M., & Zhu, W. (2017). Explaining dynamic interactions in wiki-based collaborative writing. Language Learning & Technology, 21(2), 96-120. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51768-5
Lidz, C. S. (1991). Practitioner’s guide to dynamic assessment. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Limbu, L., & Markauskaite, L. (2015). How do learners experience joint writing: University students’ conceptions of online collaborative writing tasks and environments. Computers & Education, 82, 393-408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.11.024
Mahan, K. R. (2020). The comprehending teacher: scaffolding in content and language integrated learning (CLIL). The Language Learning Journal, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2019.1705879
Mak, B. & Coniam, D. (2008). Using wikis to enhance and develop writing skills among secondary school students in Hong Kong. System, 36, 437-455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2008.02.004
McDonough, K., & De Vleeschauwer, J. (2019). Comparing the effect of collaborative and individual prewriting on EFL learners’ writing development. Journal of Second Language Writing, 44, 123-130.
Nolen, S. B., Ward, C. J., & Horn, I. S. (2011). Motivation, engagement, and identity: Opening a conversation. In D. McInerney, R. Walker & G. A. D. Liem (Eds.), Sociocultural theories of learning and motivation: Looking back, looking forward. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Press.
Pritchard, A., & Woollard, J. (2010). Psychology for the classroom: Constructivism and social learning. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Rasmussen, J (2001) The importance of communication in teaching: A systems-theory approach to the scaffolding metaphor. Curriculum Studies, 33 (5), 569-582.
Storch, N. (2002). Patterns of interaction in ESL pair work. Language Learning, 52(1), 119-158.
Storch, N. (2013). Collaborative writing in L2 classrooms. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.
Van Lier, L. (2004). The ecology and semiotics of language learning: A sociocultural perspective. Boston: Kluwer Academic Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Wang, L. (2019). The impact of computer-mediated contexts on interaction pattern of ESL learners in collaborative writing. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 28(5), 547-562.
Wingate, U. (2012). ‘Argument’ helping students understand what essay writing is about. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 11(2), 145-154.
Woodrich, M., & Fan, Y. (2017). Google Docs as a tool for collaborative writing in the middle school classroom. Journal of Information Technology Education Research, 16, 391-410
Yanguas, I. (2020). L1 vs L2 synchronous text-based interaction in computer-mediated L2 writing. System, 88, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.102169
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Inc.
Zhang, M. (2019). Towards a quantitative model of understanding the dynamics of collaboration in collaborative writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 45, 16-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2019.04.001
Zioga, C., & Bikos, K. (2020). Collaborative writing using Google docs in primary education: development of argumentative discourse. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 21(1), 133-142.
