The Impact of Collaborative Writing on the Writing Fluency of Iranian EFL Learners (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 2017
Collaborative writing has gained interest in the last decade; however, as stated by Shin, Lidster and Sabraw (2016) more research is required to delve into various aspects of this multifarious class activity. This true experimental research examined the effect of writing collaboratively on task achievement of Iranian EFL learners in writing. Oxford Placement Test was given to 60 language learners in the city of Kashmar, Iran, as the test of homogeneity. Considering +/-1 standard deviation of the mean score, 40 learners were chosen to pursue the purpose of the study. These learners formed an experimental group and a control group with 20 participants in each. Collaborative writing was implemented in the experimental group and individual writing was used in the comparison group. The participants in the experimental group were later interviewed and their perception toward collaborative writing was investigated. The findings of the study through t-test revealed that the experimental gr...
2016
Vygotsky (1978) states that based on sociocultural theory (SCT), learning is an interactive process; therefore, when learners are involved in collaborative writing, the opportunity of the interaction among them is increased (Aljaafreh & Lantolf, 1994). To this end, this study was an attempt to explore the impact of peer-mediated and individual writing conditions on intermediate female EFL learners' writing fluency, complexity, and accuracy. Before the treatment, through a PET test, the researcher selected 48 intermediate female learners randomly from among 85 and assigned them into two groups, namely, experimental and control groups including 24 learners in each class (i.e., 12 pairs in peer-mediated and 24 learners in individual groups). All the learners in both groups wrote 7 compositions either in pairs or individually in seven sessions during seven weeks and the eighth composition having the same topic as the first one was used as post-test. The results of independent-samples ttest revealed that peer-mediated group outperformed the individual one in terms of fluency, complexity, and accuracy. The implications are presented regarding the advantages of peermediation in EFL writing courses.
This study investigates the effect of homogeneous and heterogeneous peer interaction on the development of Iranian EFL learners' writing skill. Sixty female students of TEFL participated in the study. The participants were divided into two groups based on their English proficiency test scores. The homogeneous group consisted of 14 participants paired with partners with similar English proficiency test scores, while the heterogeneous group consisted of 16 participants who were paired with partners who had higher test scores. The pairs had interaction and peer collaboration before carrying out three types of writing tasks. The Repeated Measures ANOVA was used to compare the student writers' pretest writing scores with their three post-test scores. The results showed that both groups, very similarly, had significantly higher post-test scores in all three writing tasks. The findings are explained based on the sociocultural theory and Vygotsky's notion of the zone of proximal...
Improving Iranian EFL Learners’ Writing through Task-based Collaboration
Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2014
A large body of research has examined the interaction of oral and written language in formal educational context. Language practitioners and researchers have also taken up the sociocultural approach to language learning and emphasized the need for composition teachers to promote a social atmosphere in classrooms through collaboration. Accordingly, the present study sought to extend the scope of collaborative writing studies to FL context. More specifically, it aimed to investigate the writing performance of Iranian intermediate EFL learners in the textbook evaluation course which is one of the university courses for the students of TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). For this purpose, fifty seven female EFL learners participated in this study. It was carried out in two parallel textbook evaluation classes; namely, control and experimental groups to which students were randomly assigned. Students were supposed to evaluate eight series of ELT materials and write reports based on them. Students in the control group did the tasks individually; whereas students in the experimental group wrote collaboratively in small groups. Data collection was based on the pre-test, post-test design. The results of statistical analysis revealed that the students working in groups outperformed those writing individually based on such writing components as content, organization, grammar, and vocabulary.
The Effect of Cooperative Learning Activities on Writing Skills of Iranian EFL Learners
Linguistics and Literature Studies, 2014
Recent trends in second and foreign language pedagogy reflect a shift of focus from traditional teacher-dominated classes to more learner-centered contexts. Cooperative learning as opposed to individualistic and competitive learning, has been proclaimed as an effective and fruitful teaching method to improve the learner's linguistic, social and communicative competence. Cooperative learning requires learners to work together in groups to achieve a common goal and have the same measure of success. Maximizing the opportunities for student-student interaction with meaningful input and output in a supportive environment, cooperative learning has been confirmed as a desirable method for teaching all language elements. This study has investigated the impact of cooperative learning through Learning Together Model, proposed by Johnson and Johnson in 1987, on the writing skills of Iranian EFL learners. Thirty learners who were selected based on their English proficiency scores participated in this study. They were divided into two groups of experimental and control that took a pre-test and post-test in writing. The results of comparing their pre-test with their post-test scores indicated statistically significant differences between the control and experimental groups on the dependent variable and lent empirical support to the language teachers using cooperative learning as their teaching system. Some pedagogical implications can be offered as the results of the study. Language teachers by using cooperative learning techniques can create an enjoyable class of maximized participation and outcome. EFL learners in a cooperative learning environment, explore the language knowledge that they want to master.
2022
This study attempted to examine the effects of collaborative writing on EFL students’ paragraph level writing performance focusing on the two aspects of writing: content and coherence. Two batches of Grade 11 students at Felegebirahn Secondary School in Amhara Region, Ethiopia were selected for the study group based on the mean scores of the paragraph writing performance test given before the intervention. These two batches of students were randomly assigned into two groups: experimental (n=44) and control (n=44) using lottery system to conduct the study. The students in the experimental group were made to practice paragraph level writing tasks collaboratively; while the students in the control group were made to practice the same writing tasks individually for 12 weeks. The main instrument used to collect the data was paragraph writing test. Students’ questionnaire and semi-structured interview were also used to gather data regarding students’ attitude towards using collaborative writing in EFL classes. The paragraph writing test results were used to examine and compare students’ paragraph writing performance before and after the intervention. T-test was employed to analyze and interpret if the paragraph writing performance tests mean differences with-in the groups and between groups were statistically significant or not. The findings revealed that the students who practiced the writing tasks or activities collaboratively have brought more significant improvements on the content and coherence of the paragraphs they produced after the training than students who practiced the writing tasks individually. It was also noted that the students in the experimental group had exhibited positive attitude towards collaborative writing. This was confirmed by majority of the respondents from the attitude questionnaire and interview data that students finally enjoyed and were motivated to write in English after their engagement in collaborative writing. It was concluded that practicing writing tasks collaboratively in EFL writing classes can improve students’ performance to incorporate relevant and coherent ideas or sentences while students write paragraphs in English. Therefore, it was recommended that using collaborative writing in EFL writing lessons must continue and be adopted on wider scale.
Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2020
This paper aims at enhancing writing skills by using cooperative learning strategies since recent methodologies in foreign language teaching have deviated the shift of focus from traditional teacher-oriented classes to more learner-centered contexts. Among the methods endorsed in teaching writing is the application of Cooperative Learning (CL). The use of CL has become an increasingly popular method to improve the learner’s linguistic, social and communicative competence. This research investigated the effects of CL to improve the writing skill of AIU students. A questionnaire was done to spot their problems and weak points. The quasi experimental design was used, with pre-test and post-test of two different kinds of essay as an instrument. Two different kinds of studies were employed qualitatively and quantitatively to analyze the data. The students’ writing was scored on the five writing components which were content, vocabulary, organization, grammar and mechanics see (Yusuf, Jus...
Journal of Language Teaching and Research
This mixed-method study observes the effects of collaborative writing strategy on EFL learners’ writing skill and their perception of the strategy. The population consists of 80 students from a public senior high school in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The samples, which were selected by using cluster random sampling, were categorized as the experimental and control class. Each class were taught with different teaching strategies, experimental class was taught by using collaborative writing strategy and the control class was taught by using conventional teaching strategy. The data were collected through writing tests and interviews to measure the students’ writing skill and their perception of collaborative writing. The result of the analysis reveals that collaborative writing strategy has helped students in generating their writing ideas and activating the students’ background knowledge of the topics assigned to them to develop in their writings. The result of this study also highlights...
Individual, pair and group writing activity: A case study of undergraduate EFL student writing
English Language Teaching , 2019
The present study aimed to compare between individual and collaborative writing (pair and group of four) activities of 72 EFL students. The subjects of the study were assigned to produce their tasks by these three activities. Qualitative method was employed by using interview of nine students drawn from students with different levels of English proficiency (low, fair and high). It was focused on their perspectives towards skills practiced during working on written tasks: writing, thinking, participation, communication as well as their satisfaction of these activities. The results from content analysis demonstrated that overall the students practiced participation skills when doing individual and pair work. The students practiced writing skills when joining group work. With regard to the students' satisfaction, low proficiency students in low group were likely to enjoy coauthoring activity either pair or group work. Their satisfaction seemed to increase according to the number of group members. This is important for writing teachers to provide this activity for low proficiency students as this may lower the students' anxiety and foster their self-confidence, compared with completing tasks individually. On the contrary high proficiency students seemed to enjoy writing alone and were fairly satisfied group work. These students were likely to be more confident when performing the tasks individually or experienced some problems that might impede working collaboratively.