The Effect of Collaborative Writing Using Google Docs on EFL Learners’ Writing Performance and Writing Self-regulation

Aim/Purpose: In this study, the authors examine how an online word processing tool can be used to encourage participation among students of different language back-grounds, including English Language Learners. To be exact, the paper discusses whether student participation in anonymous collaborative writing via Google Docs can lead to more successful products in a linguistically diverse eighth-grade English Language Arts classroom. Background: English Language Learners (ELLs) make up a considerable portion of elementary and secondary public school students, as language and ethnic diversity has become the norm in the United States. The research literature finds that ELLs are statistically behind their monolingual peers on such key language and academic development indicators as writing. Educators and researchers then turn to collaborative writing with the assistance of online technology. Although it is shown in literature to be a worthwhile endeavor for students of all ages and ability levels, no studies have investigated the differences it makes, namely, in comparison to traditional face-to-face collaboration in the classroom, and to anonymous online collaboration in the virtual space. Methodology: Through face-to-face, online, and anonymous writing activities, a rubric, and a survey, this quantitative study asks if anonymous collaborative writing, com-pared to other modalities, equalizes participation among students of varying language fluencies, and if anonymous collaborative writing, compared to other modalities, affect student comfort levels. Contribution: This builds on research of online collaborative writing tools and suggests that using such tools (Google Docs in particular) is beneficial, especially for students who are building their language abilities. The study further reveals varied degree of success and student comfort level in participating writing tasks in three modalities. Findings: We ascertain that students of varying language fluencies participated more equally when they were able to remain anonymous. Face-to-face writing exhibited the highest overall scores, and students enjoyed working on Google Docs. Recommendations for Practitioners: Future and current teachers are encouraged to be open to new technologies and be creative in the use of technology to facilitate student learning. They should have the opportunity to participate in the discussion on how, not if, integrating technology impacts the cognitive, social, and cultural dimensions of teaching. Recommendation for Researchers: After this initial quantitative study on students’ reactions to various modalities of technology-supported writing formats, the next questions to ask may be how students were engaging in dialogues during face-to-face sessions or chat features of Google Docs trials, and what types of edits students are making. Researchers should turn their focus on secondary school classrooms where there is an increasing impact of technology-assisted collaborative writing on student learning and teaching pedagogy. Impact on Society: As online technology has become an integral part of daily life, it is beneficial to educators, policy makers, and classroom teachers to understand how technology can be integrated in writing programs and to what extent the integration can help boost student motivation and participation. Future Research: More longitudinal research on online assisted collaborative writing and addi-tional quantitative data are needed to further understand the complexities of the writing process in-group online writing and the nature of collaboration.

This study investigates the effect of using Google Docs online learning media in conjunction with collaborative writing strategies on high school students' writing skills. The study took place at Surabaya's high schools, with 16 tenth-grade students participating. The research is a pre-experimental design with a one-group pretest and posttest design. The study's design involved only one class in the treatment of Google Docs media in collaborative writing. The first research question focused on implementing Google Docs and collaborative writing activities in the learning process conducted by a teacher and students. The findings were determined from observational sheets. Further research findings for the second research question, which were derived from students’ pre-test and post-test scores, were examined using t-tests and presented quantitatively. Additionally, questionnaires were used to determine students' perceptions of the use of Google Docs as a collaborative medium in their writing studies. According to research findings, students' scores improved significantly following treatment compared to their pre-treatment scores. Cohen's d was used to determine the magnitude of the effects created by this study, and it was discovered that the effects were quite significant. The results for the second research question indicated that the learning process was done successfully. Students' attitudes towards the treatment also showed that most groups performed well during the activity. Furthermore, the third research question results indicated that the combination of Google Docs and collaborative writing methods elicited favorable responses from students. Thus, collaborative writing strategies utilizing Google Docs as a medium can assist Senior High School students in writing more effectively.

English language teaching methods have been transforming to improve learners’ English language proficiency. Currently, effective teaching methods are essential for enhancing learners’ academic achievement. Despite the recognition of collaborative learning as a beneficial approach, research specifically investigating its effects on writing performance remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of collaborative writing on Ethiopian English as a Foreign Language students’ writing accuracy, fluency, and complexity performance; it is a crucial area in language pedagogy that has not been extensively examined. Employing a quasi-experimental design, the study selected a total of 86 students, with 43 participants from each of two grade 10 classes. One class was assigned to the experimental group, where students participated in collaborative writing activities. The other class served as the control group, receiving conventional writing instruction. The intervention was implemented over a 12-week period. Data were collected through pre- and post-writing tests, and the results of the pre and post writing performance tests were analyzed using descriptive statistics, an independent-samples t test, and ANCOVA. The results revealed a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in writing accuracy and fluency. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of writing complexity performance. The findings indicate some theoretical and pedagogical implications to enhance advancements in writing proficiency, and overall, the study concludes by offering suggestions for future research.

The Impact of Collaborative Writing on EFL Learners’ Writing Development: A Longitudinal Classroom-Based Study in Saudi Arabia

Collaborative writing (CW) tasks require heightened Engagement with Language (EWL), as their learning potential has been shown to be mediated by the number of language-related episodes (LREs) or learners’ patterns of interaction. Recent research on CW with young populations has investigated different dimensions of EWL, but a holistic view of the three main aspects of EWL – social, cognitive and affective – is inexistent. This study tries to fill this gap and explores EWL in a group of 69 young Spanish EFL learners (ages 11–12) who completed a picture narration writing task in pairs. The three dimensions of EWL were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively by means of number of turns and LREs, patterns of interaction, and a semi-structured post-task interview. The results indicated that these learners were capable of correctly resolving different linguistic issues, but the extent to which they elaborated on these discussions was low, regardless of their pattern of interaction, which was either cooperative or collaborative most times. A collaborative pattern seemed to lead to more affective engagement and LREs, indicating certain interrelation between these three dimensions, although encouragement and support were seldom verbalised.

Online Collaborative Writing (OCW) on Google Docs has been used as an approach to the teaching of Portuguese as a first language and of English as a foreign language in Brazil. On this article, we present some quantitative data on OCW drawn from a larger pedagogical intervention research related to the participation of 36 students from Integrated Secondary Education at the Federal Institute in Rio Grande do Norte . Students were divided into seven groups to write, collaboratively on Google Docs, a post for an informative blog over three online collaborative sessions. The initial findings are related to frequency, time, and interactions during those sessions. Our conclusion is that time and frequency of students on each session are not related to the amount of interactions, for groups that showed more engagement, in fact, spent less time writing, even though they had an average frequency on the sessions.

Second language (L2) research suggests that synchronous written corrective feedback (SWCF) in online collaborative writing tasks can help improve L2 linguistic knowledge and writing skills. Following the rise of online collaborative writing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, this exploratory study examines L2 learners’ perceptions of receiving SWCF during collaborative writing tasks completed on an online text-editing platform (Google Docs) and mediated by videoconferencing (Zoom). Adult learners (N = 46) enrolled in advanced online French as a Second Language courses took part in two collaborative writing tasks, during which their teachers (N = 3) provided SWCF. Learners’ screen activity was recorded. After the experiment, a perception survey was distributed and selected participants took part in semi-structured interviews to further discuss their experience. Results indicate that learners viewed the provision of SWCF through computer-mediated communication as an effective way to improve their L2 writing compared to traditional, delayed written feedback. Pedagogical implications for the implementation of videoconferences collaborative writing tasks involving teacher SWCF are discussed.

Collaborative writing is widely recognized for its benefits in enhancing linguistic competence, critical thinking, and social interaction in EFL contexts. Despite numerous studies highlighting these advantages, a gap remains in how collaborative writing competence can be systematically assessed and practically applied in classroom settings. This study aims to empirically validate a Collaborative Writing Competence Framework (CWCF) comprising five key dimensions: communication, coordination, creativity, responsibility, and reflection. A quantitative research design involved 103 Indonesian undergraduate EFL students enrolled in an Essay Writing course. Data were collected using a Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The model demonstrated a good fit (χ² = 86.528, df = 81, p = .317; CMIN/DF = 1.068; RMSEA = 0.026; CFI = 0.992), with acceptable reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.719–0.807) and convergent validity (AVE = 0.501–0.673). Creativity emerged as the most influential factor in collaborative writing competence. The validated CWCF offers actionable insights for EFL instruction: structured peer discussions, guided brainstorming, and task delegation can enhance collaboration, while integrating self- and peer-assessment fosters responsibility and reflection. Digital platforms such as Google Docs may also support real-time coordination and feedback. The CWCF thus serves as both an assessment instrument and pedagogical tool, paving the way for more effective collaborative writing practices in EFL classrooms.

Many studies on language learning have highlighted the advantages of collaborative writing (CW) in promoting learners’ writing skills (Strobl, 2014). To achieve the end product of collaborative writing tasks, learners are required to work collaboratively in various stages of planning and editing the writing as well as finalizing the shared texts (Woodrich & Fan, 2017). According to Storch (2011), although CW has been widely used and found to be very effective in promoting writing learning, it has been practiced mostly outside the context of second language (L2) learning. However, Kessler et al. (2012) suggested that with the assistance of technologies, we can integrate Web 2.0[1] applications and pedagogical practices in teaching and learning writing to enhance students’ writing via online CW.

The present study examines the effect of group work and collaborative writing on EFL learners' writing ability at elementary level.Convenience sampling is used in this research.64 learners in two groups (treatment & control) participated in the study.The Learners in treatment group wrote their writings collaboratively while the other group wrote them individually.The writing samples were rated based on the TOEFL iBT task 2 writing scoring rubric (ETS, 2006).The results showed that both the treatment group and the control group improved significantly from the beginning to the end of the instruction as assessed through the use of two paired samples t tests (Treatment Group t(30) = -26.42,p = .000;Control Group t(32) = -15.70,p = .000).However, the two groups showed a significant difference in their posttest (t (62) = 2.64, p = .01).

Despite the plethora of research on computer-supported collaborative writing, previous studies have failed to provide an adequate analysis of the quality and quantity of multi-authored texts due to the vast amount of unstructured data. This study aims to expand the current research by contributing new perspectives to the understanding of students’ collaborative writing interactions and strategies. Nineteen EFL learners, divided into five groups, were asked to collaboratively write a literature review on a selected research topic using Google Docs. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data, supported by text mining using DocuViz, revealed that the groups demonstrated patterns of interactions along the continuum of equality and mutuality. However, due to the nature of the required task, groups with the same collaborative interaction patterns exhibited some writing strategy variations. Text visualization analysis further revealed that the groups adopted more than one writing strategy to complete the task. They tended to start with an outline in which the task was divided, and students worked either in parallel or sequentially. This was followed by cooperative revisions or a synchronous hands-on style before the task’s due date. By using multiple data analyses, this study distinguishes between interaction patterns and writing strategies, two concepts previously used interchangeably. Methodological and pedagogical implications are also presented.

This research explored Korean EFL learners’ perspectives towards three different media modes in collaborative writing on Google Docs. To examine this, the study utilized sentiment analysis and word frequency in natural language processing (NLP). The results suggest how media modes can be effectively deployed in collaborative English writing.

One of the important issues in EFL instruction is the idea of eliminating students’ linguistic errors through providing corrective feedback (CF). Accordingly, this study investigated the effect of various CF types (i.e., comprehensive, selective, and no feedback) on advanced EFL learners’ writing in different writing conditions (i.e., individual & collaborative). 132 EFL advanced learners aged from 14-20 were considered as the main participants. Learners were divided into 6 groups (i.e., three individual and three collaborative writing conditions). Furthermore, each writing condition included three groups with selective, comprehensive and no correction orientations. Data collection tools and procedures encompassed an institutionalized Placement Test, pre-test, and post-test. The treatment that lasted for nine sessions was followed by a post-test. Data was submitted to a series of ANOVA tests with follow up pair-wise comparisons and independent-samples t-tests. Findings indicated that: (1) CF, especially selective one, was more effective in enhancing learners’ writing accuracy, and (2) members of the collaborative writing groups outperformed those in the individual ones in terms of their writing accuracy development. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed in relation to enhancing writing accuracy of the learners.

Regulated learning and self-efficacy beliefs in peer collaborative writing: An exploratory study of L2 learners’ written products, task discussions, and self-reports

Writing is a key component of primary EFL education and the way it is taught can influence pupils’ language learning. To enhance written and overall proficiency, collaborative writing (CW) has been advocated, but few CW studies include teachers of young learners. Their views on writing instruction are relevant to consider, since they can have an impact on classroom teaching and pupils’ progress in EFL. This study therefore adopts semi-structured interviews with 15 Swedish EFL teachers to explore their beliefs about how CW affects 10–12-year-olds’ EFL learning opportunities. A reflexive thematic analysis generated six themes, where perceived beneficial outcomes of CW concern vocabulary expansion, writing improvement, motivation and a decrease in foreign language anxiety. Constraints, according to the teachers, relate to grouping pupils to maximise linguistic gains and finding time for CW. The study concludes that the teachers believe CW to be a multifaceted approach that potentially supports young learners as EFL users in general and writers specifically.