Peer collaborative writing in the EAP classroom: Insights from a Canadian postsecondary context

Abstract

Peer collaborative second language (L2) writing has recently gained a lot of traction (Hu & Lam, 2009; Swain & Lapkin, 2013) as both instructors and students recognize its advantages. Although research on peer feedback in L2 contexts has a long history, peer collaborative L2 writing research has been sparse. This article reports on a study that investigated student perceptions on collaboration in an extended, take‐home writing assignment in an English for academic purposes context at a Canadian university. Data were collected from questionnaire surveys, student writing, and semistructured interviews. Findings suggest that although there are some challenges in peer collaborative writing, it also has certain benefits. The main challenges identified were participants’ unfamiliarity with peer collaboration, lack of clear instructions regarding the steps to be followed, unequal proficiency levels within groups, and group members’ different backgrounds, causing difficulty in communication among partners. The benefits include students’ critical awareness about the use of language in academic writing, which led to an improved understanding of the meaning‐making processes in text production. Drawing on these findings, the authors discuss implications for teaching and learning.

A Case Study of ASEAN EFL Learners’ Collaborative Writing and Small Group Interaction Patterns in Google Docs

“…This was evidenced by their increased scores in the posttest writing. The finding is congruent with previous studies (e.g., Bhowmik et al, 2019;Coffin, 2020;Storch, 2011;Wang, 2019), which claimed that CW can provide opportunities for learners to brainstorm for ideas and give feedback that can improve the quality of writing.…”

“…Sociocultural theory has been emphasized over the last two decades, in particular CW (Bhowmik et al, 2019;Doboa, 2014;Li, 2014;Li & Kim, 2016;Lowry, Curtis, & Lowry, 2004;Storch 2002Storch , 2004Storch , 2011Storch , 2013Zhang, 2018). Sociocultural theory-based initiatives make learning activity more dynamic and interactive, and learning and development encourages collaboration and interaction among learners (Vygotsky, 1978;Lantolf & Thorne, 2007).…”

“…Previous studies have shown that collaborative writing (henceforth CW) improves the quality of writing involving difficult tasks (Liu, Liu, & Liu, 2018). It enables a deeper understanding of content and produces better quality of writing (Abe, 2020;Coffin, 2020;Limbu & Markauskaite, 2015); it increases writing accuracy and vocabulary acquisition Dobao, 2014;Latifi, Norrozi, & Talaee, 2021;McDonough & De Vleeschauwer, 2019); and it provides opportunities for learners to brainstorm, give feedback, and create meaning (Alghasab, Hardman, & Handley, 2019;Bhowmik, Hilman, & Roy, 2019;Coffin, 2020;Dong, Y., & Liu, 2020;Storch, 2011). Some researchers have employed web-based collaborative writing (WBCW) tools such as Google Docs (henceforth GD) or Wikis to investigate learners' interaction patterns (Cho, 2017;Li & Kim, 2016;Li & Zhu, 2017;Yanguas, 2020) or different styles and characteristics of CW detected through DocuViz, a data visualization tool (Olson, Wang, Olson, & Zhang, 2017;Warschauer, Yim, Lee, & Zheng, 2019;Yim, Wang, Olson, Vu, & Warschauer, 2017).…”

Finding satisfaction: intrinsic motivation for synchronous and asynchronous communication in the online language learning context

“…Further, students writing outcomes showed that students performed better outcomes in content quality and organization with the aid of the system. Bhowmik et al ( 2019 ) also reported benefits of students’ collaboration, including raising critical awareness about language practice in academic writing, which led to an enhanced understanding of the meaning-making processes in text construction.…”

“…Collaborative writing is not without shortcomings despite learning contributions. Bhowmik et al ( 2019 ) explain challenges identified within a Canadian post-secondary context includes learners’ unfamiliarity with peer collaboration, absence of clear guidelines regarding the steps to be followed, inadequate proficiency levels within groups, and group members’ different experiences, which can cause struggle in communication among partners. A qualitative study by Such ( 2019 ) investigated how post-secondary EFL learners work collaboratively to complete online writing assignments using wikis.…”