Validating a Collaborative Writing Competence Framework for EFL Instruction: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach

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.

Tika, Rina. 2023. An Analysis of Students Perception on Descriptive Text Using Google Docs in Tenth Grade Students of SMK Negeri 01 Jember in 2022/2023 Academic Year. Thesis, English Language Education Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Muhammadiyah Jember. Advisors: (1) Fitrotul Mufaridah, M.Pd (2) Nurkamilah, M.PdKeyword: Online Learning, Google Docs, Writing Text, Descriptive TextImplementing online learning tools within EFL contexts will help better address the multitude of teaching and learning styles. Google docs is a free and easy-to-use technology on which individual, pair, and groups of students can create, write, edit, store, comment and give immediate feedback on their writing simultaneously from their computers or other tablet devices they have in and outside the classroom. In this research, the researcher conducted research about perception on the use of Google Docs. The problem of this research is what is students™ perception of writing text online using Google Docs. This research aims to know the strategy use by the students in writing descriptive text online using Google Docs.The researcher will discuss about writing descriptive text using Google Docs. The use of Google Docs is common media used during 2022/2023. Google Docs helps the teacher to deliver the material. In this case, writing tasks require students to produce a shared text. In groups, students scaffold tasks and achieve a more developed product. Google Docs facilitates writing instructional practices. Google Docs allows people to work, read, review, comment, and edit to each other in the same document simultaneously (Deveci, 2018; Ishtaiwa & Aburazeq, 2015). It gives the benefits that Google Docs offers, this research reported sought to explore students™ perception on writing processes using Google Docs, especially in generating their ideas, organizing the text, and constructing the sentences in writing descriptive text.This research used descriptive research because based on the research problem; the objective of this research it is to know students™ perception of writing text online using Google Docs for SMK Negeri 01 Jember in 2022/2023 Academic Year.Based on the data, students' perspective on Google Docs is positive. From the students' view can be seen how Google Docs help students to do assignments anywhere, anytime, can access these tools directly to correct their assignments and submit to the teacher. They also get other positive things when they want to find information of assignment by accessing it on their cellphone while they are working on Google Docs. In other side, they also find difficulty in internet access.

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.

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.

Microlearning has been predicted as a promising learning trend to cope with the rapidly changing world. The technology-mediated short form of learning also received language partitioners’ and researchers’ interest in adopting microlearning in language education. Notably, most existing studies focused on vocabulary or structural learning instead of presenting micro-contents and micro-activities holistically. This study proposes a structurally streamlined instructional design framework by interconnecting the learning chunks hierarchically from lexical learning to pragmatic application to facilitate holistic language learning in the microlearning context. With the support of collaborative technologies and the team project-based learning approach, this study also aims to develop learners’ collaboration competency in the EFL contexts. Empirical results received from survey indicate that learners’ satisfaction with the novel microlearning instructional design is high. This study also confirms that the proposed instructional design promotes learners’ collaboration competency regardless of learners’ language proficiency.

This article is the second of two on the use of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) as a method to assess construct validity. The construct validation criteria required by the conventional MTMM approach are satisfied only by certain ideal data sets, such as those in which the method variance of measures is very low. The CFA approach to multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) data is more general, in that violations of those stringent criteria can be managed. Another limitation of the conventional MTMM approach is that only a relatively small number of indicators can be examined by bivariate analysis. The economy of the CFA approach permits the analysis of a much larger number of indicators. In this article, a data set is analyzed using the CFA approach. Results are presented that illustrate the application of this statistical method.

The current study aims to investigate types of corrective feedback used in two classroom settings (i.e. EFL and international school classrooms) and to compare the frequency of corrective feedback types used in the two classrooms. The participants of this study were 31 students from two classrooms (6 international and 25 in EFL classrooms) and their respective teachers; one in each classroom. Data was collected through four classroom observations and one semi-structure interview conducted with the teacher from each classroom. The findings revealed that all six types of feedback were provided by the teachers in the two classrooms. A comparison of the frequency of the use of corrective feedback in two different classrooms revealed that recast was the most frequently used type of feedback in the EFL classroom while metalinguistic clues were used the most in the international school classroom. Data from the interviews suggested that teachers from both classrooms provided the feedback to students without awareness of how the feedback types should be used appropriately for different foci of the content. This study recommends the need for teacher training on corrective feedback so that the teachers will be able to analyze, select, and provide appropriate feedback types to learners.

This article is addressed to those interested in integrating social media, as a collaborative component, into Business and Technical Writing courses. Educators find themselves under the false impression that digital natives’ familiarity with these tools will result in their embracing them as part and parcel of coursework. The reality is that today’s students need help in moving beyond the familiar applications of these virtual spaces in their personal lives and toward their uses as dynamic components of the educational experience. Relearning Facebook to do more than “friending” people, “liking” activities, and announcing one’s status involves an emphasis on the professional role of this developing medium of communication. These professional applications, therefore, must be fully integrated into the academic experience. Most Business and Technical Writing courses at Rutgers University culminate with each student submitting a research proposal, developed throughout the course of a 15-week semester. The justification for the plan of action in each proposal is based upon scholarly research. In our Collaborative Writing Practices course, the students develop their proposals in teams and are instructed to use various social networking platforms to communicate with each other, as well as with their instructor, as a supplement to the face-to-face classroom environment. In addition, each researched plan is required to advance a solution that utilizes social media. Our “triangulated” approach to instruction immerses students into social networking and helps them understand that, to be successful, collaborative writing must occur on a variety of levels. We also integrate social media into several of our online classes, where it is used to replace key elements of face-to-face courses, such as formal presentations. We have found that implementing a social media project instead of the traditional PowerPoint presentation encourages a greater level of interaction and participation among students.

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) play a crucial role in the Indonesian economy and are regarded to have the potential to reduce poverty by creating employment opportunities. Malang City predominantly relies on micro, small, and medium-scale economic activities, particularly Batik MSMEs, which are crucial in supporting the tourism sector. The term commonly used to refer to Malang Batik is "Malangan" Batik. This research aims to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis to examine the measuring model of the business environment, entrepreneurial orientation, and innovation capacity. A total of 100 batik micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Malang City were selected as the sample for this research. The data analysis was conducted using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) methodologies. According to the results of the confirmatory factor analysis, it was determined that the customer indicator had the most significant impact on shaping business environment variables. Risk-taking is regarded as the primary factor that significantly influences the formation of the entrepreneurial orientation characteristic. Marketing innovation is the most reliable sign of developing innovation capabilities. Malang City's Batik MSME companies are actively engaging in collaboration with suppliers, demonstrating a proactive approach in seeking market prospects and promoting new goods in untapped areas. Additionally, there is a need to enhance technological innovation.

This study aims to develop an assessment instrument for Arabic writing skills as a second language using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The instrument was developed based on the Oriondo and Antonio model, with a sample of 248 students who completed a writing test. Data were analyzed using R-Studio software for EFA, CFA, and descriptive statistics. The EFA results revealed one main factor, with eigenvalues and factor loadings above 0.6, indicating a consistent factor structure. In CFA, the four dimensions of writing skills Ideas and Content, Structure and Organization, Style and Rhetoric, and Language and Grammar demonstrated strong factor loadings and good model fit, confirming the robustness of the instrument. The instrument also showed high internal consistency and strong construct validity. This instrument can be practically used by educators and language program administrators to evaluate and enhance students’ writing proficiency in Arabic as a second language. This study produces a valid and reliable instrument for assessing Arabic writing skills as a second language in higher education.

Alternative assessment has been the focus of many educational researches in EFL classroom. This study was carried out to highlight the definition, characteristics and effects of alternative assessment in EFL context by reviewing current research on assessment. The research consisted of a systematic review of the empirical studies on alternative assessment in EFL classroom. Focusing solely on online search, many studies were found but only (n=24) met the inclusion criteria involving a total of (n=1588) participants. Also, it aimed to scrutinize the methods, participants and findings of the selected studies as well as the locations where they were conducted. The findings indicated that most of the studies (18 out of 24) reported positive effects of employing alternative assessment on language learning skills in EFL classroom. The results also show that the dominant method employed in the articles was quantitative where students were the main focal point involved in the research as their participants. The study is further concluded with a discussion on definition, characteristics and effects of alternative assessment in EFL context.

Convergent, discriminant and concurrent validities of measures of the behavioural approach and behavioural inhibition systems: confirmatory factor analytic approach

Even if research on online collaborative writing is largely abundant, studies on the effects of varied digital collaborative tools applied to different stages of process writing are limited. This paper, therefore, presents the findings of a quasi-experimental study on the effects of three Web 2.0-based collaborative writing tools on university English language students’ writing performance and motivation. A one-group within-subjects quasi-experimental repeated-measures time series design was employed. Sixteen University students were comprehensively selected. Data were collected over four rounds using writing performance tests and a motivation questionnaire. The Friedman test was utilized to compare the mean scores of the related samples. Additionally, Kendall’s coefficient of concordance was calculated to determine the concordance in the rating. The results revealed that Web 2.0-based collaborative writing had a statistically significant effect on students’ writing performance and motivation when applied to the different stages of process writing. Therefore, it is essential for teachers, schools, and curriculum designers to make a concerted effort to integrate Web 2.0 writing tools for collaborative writing. 

Religious moderation has become a central issue in Indonesia’s pluralistic religious landscape, where differences in faith and cultural traditions coexist within a shared national framework. Among university students, however, the understanding and application of moderation values remain uneven, as indicated by challenges such as the rise of intolerant attitudes and limited opportunities for constructive intergroup dialogue. This study seeks to examine the level of religious moderation among students and to identify the most significant factors that influence its formation within the context of Islamic higher education. The research employed a quantitative design using a survey of 95 students at STIT At-Taqwa Ciparay Bandung. The instrument measured four core dimensions of religious moderation: national commitment, tolerance, anti-violence, and accommodation to local culture. Data were analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with the assistance of Lisrel 8.8 software. The results indicate that students’ religious moderation is at a moderate level, suggesting a reasonably good foundation while highlighting the need for reinforcement in specific areas. More importantly, several indicators recorded high loading factor values, namely cooperation, empathy, openness, and acceptance of differences. These findings reveal that interpersonal and relational attitudes play a pivotal role in shaping moderate religious orientations. The study concludes that strengthening these high-loading factors, alongside the four main dimensions, can significantly enhance students’ capacity to internalize and practice religious moderation, thereby supporting a more harmonious and inclusive educational environment. AbstrakModerasi beragama telah menjadi isu sentral dalam lanskap keagamaan yang pluralistik di Indonesia, di mana perbedaan keyakinan dan tradisi budaya hidup berdampingan dalam bingkai kebangsaan. Namun, di kalangan mahasiswa, pemahaman dan penerapan nilai-nilai moderasi masih belum merata, yang ditunjukkan oleh munculnya sikap intoleran serta terbatasnya ruang dialog antar kelompok. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji tingkat moderasi beragama mahasiswa serta mengidentifikasi faktor-faktor signifikan yang memengaruhi pembentukannya dalam konteks perguruan tinggi Islam. Penelitian menggunakan desain kuantitatif dengan survei terhadap 95 mahasiswa STIT At-Taqwa Ciparay Bandung. Instrumen penelitian mengukur empat dimensi inti moderasi beragama, yaitu komitmen kebangsaan, toleransi, anti-kekerasan, dan akomodasi terhadap budaya lokal. Data dianalisis dengan Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) menggunakan perangkat lunak Lisrel 8.8. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tingkat moderasi beragama mahasiswa berada pada kategori sedang, yang mencerminkan dasar pemahaman dan penerapan nilai-nilai moderasi yang cukup baik, namun masih memerlukan penguatan di beberapa aspek. Lebih jauh, beberapa indikator ditemukan memiliki nilai loading factor tinggi, yaitu kerja sama, empati, keterbukaan, dan penerimaan terhadap perbedaan. Temuan ini menegaskan bahwa sikap interpersonal dan relasional berperan penting dalam membentuk orientasi keagamaan yang moderat. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa penguatan faktor-faktor dengan loading tinggi, bersamaan dengan penguatan empat dimensi utama, dapat secara signifikan meningkatkan kapasitas mahasiswa dalam menginternalisasi dan mempraktikkan moderasi beragama, sehingga mendukung terciptanya lingkungan pendidikan yang harmonis dan inklusif.