Writing is considered a very complicated task for many EFL students and Iranian EFL learners have many problems in this regard. Present study through a mixed method design, attempted to investigate the effect of Structured Collaborative (SC) pre-writing task versus Unstructured Collaborative (USC) pre-writing task on the writing ability of Iranian EFL students. Among a population of 300 freshmen learners of English language translation of Islamic Azad University, 169 students were selected based on criterion sampling. The criteria for selecting the sample were English language proficiency of the learners, age of the participants and major of their study. On the other hand, 30 teachers were selected based on convenience sampling for the interview part of the study. Then the students were assigned to Unstructured Collaborative (USC), and Structured Collaborative (SC) pre-writing groups. These two clusters were considered as experimental group and as control group. The study was implemented over a period of 16 weeks and involved pre and post-tests. Results of the quantitative data analysis shows that students’ writing proficiency in both groups were improved. However, the outcomes of the study reveals that the (USC) group outperformed the (SC) group. The qualitative data analysis through classroom observation and teachers interview reveals that teachers of (IAU) practiced the collaborative tasks at the three stages of writing in their classes and they also favored and applied the five components of Cooperative Learning (CL). In this study, the researchers took the initiative to make a distinction between structured and unstructured collaborative pre-writing tasks. Consequently, the results of the current study are of benefit for several groups of people, namely language practitioners, university students and educational administrators.

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Writing has a special position in language teaching meanwhile its accomplishment includes preparation and awareness of other three language skills. It seems crucial students set an objective for their writing, plan it sensibly, consider its design and rational arrangement. This paper reviews writing-related theories applicable in academic context.  To this end some related sources have been reviewed. The findings highlighted that writing skills need mastering of other aspects, such as cognitive, metacognitive and collaborative skills. Besides, teachers’ awareness of different writing theories merits further attention in educational context.  Consequently, the results of the current study are useful for language practitioners, university students and educational administrators.

The present quasi-experimental study with a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design investigated the impact of back-translation teaching with collaborative activities on Iranian English translation students’ translation achievement. To this end, 30Iranian EFL translation students studying at Islamic Azad University North Tehran Branch were nominated based on convenience sampling. The Oxford Placement Test (OPT) and a translation pretest were directed to inspect the contributors’ homogeneity prior to the treatment. The groups were assigned to the Collaborative Back-translation Group (CBTG n=15) and Back-translation Group (BTG n=15). During 16 sessions, CBTG experienced back-translation with collaborative activities as a treatment, whereas the BTG experienced only back-translation every session. After the treatment stage, the participants were given a translation posttest. The study also examined the participants’ attitudes toward collaborative activities implementation via semi-structured interviews and tried to assess some students’ perceptions towards collaborative activities and the instructional practices in the university context. The qualitative analysis revealed that most learners preferred collaborative tasks in their classrooms. The quantitative analysis showed that the CBTG outdone the BTG in translation ability. The result of the present research had some implications for the teachers and students in translation pedagogy. As for the theoretical aspect, this study can provide some hints for researchers interested in developing a comprehensive model for the L2 translation process. Considering the practical implications, all the instructors could employ a set of collaborative activities in their translation classes. Collaborative activities create translating opportunities where students exchange meaning, suggest feedback, and offer enhanced output for revealing the meaning.