ISSN: 2226-6348
Open access
Collaborative writing was deeply rooted in Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, where social interaction and communication were crucial for learning and cognitive development. Research on collaborative writing has been well-established in the mainstream education of English-speaking countries, however, it has been rarely conducted in the context of second language speakers. In Malaysia, the advancement of education technology has prompted local researchers to explore the practice of web-based collaborative writing activities. However, most local research on web-based collaborative writing has centered on students’ acceptance and perceptions of the method. Teachers, despite playing a crucial role in facilitating and moderating students’ collaborative writing, have rarely been the focus of these efforts. To minimize this information gap, this study employed a qualitative research approach with the aim of exploring ESL teachers’ perceptions of web-based collaborative writing in Malaysian secondary schools. Based on interviews with six experienced and novice ESL teachers in Malaysia, this study discovered that collaborative writing was not well understood among secondary school teachers, particularly senior teachers and those located in rural areas. The findings of this study revealed that web-based collaborative writing in secondary schools was conducted on a smaller scale to suit students’ levels of English proficiency. Teachers compensated for their lack of knowledge on the tools by allowing students the freedom to choose any web-based tools and platforms they prefer. The freedom of being in charge of their writing and the support students received throughout all stages of writing was theorized to increase students’ creativity and interest in writing. Although the results of this study was based on the perceptions of a small sample, they offered various insights into possible teaching strategies, limitations, and benefits of collaborative writing that are beneficial to ESL teachers in Malaysia, as well as internationally.
Abrams, Z. (2019). Collaborative writing & text quality in Google Docs. Language Learning & Technology, 23(2), 22-42.
Adnan, N. H., & Ritzhaupt, A. D. (2018). Software engineering design principles applied to instructional design: What can we learn from our sister discipline?. TechTrends, 62, 77-94.
Adnan, N. H., Norman, H., & Nordin, N. M. (2020). Instructor-generated hand-drawn 2D animations for ESL vocabulary learning in secondary education. The Asian ESP Journal, 16(1.2), 67-81.
Adnan, N. H., & Sayadi, S. S. (2021). ESL Students’ Readiness for Self-Directed Learning in Improving English Writing Skills. Arab World English Journal, 12(4), 503-520.
Ahmad, S. Z. (2020). Cloud-Based Collaborative Writing to Develop EFL Students' Writing Quantity and Quality. International Education Studies, 13(3), 51-64.
Anggraini, R., Rozimela, Y., & Anwar, D. (2020). The Effects of Collaborative Writing on EFL Learners’ Writing Skills and Their Perception of the Strategy. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 11(2), 335-341.
Al Ajmi, A., & Ali, H. I. H. (2014). Collaborative writing in group assignments in an EFL/ESL classroom. English Linguistics Research, 3(2), 1-17.
Al-Dheleai, Y. M., Tasir, Z., & Jumaat, N. F. (2020). Depicting Students’ Social Presence on Social Networking Site in Course-Related Interaction. SAGE Open 10(1), 2158244019899094.
Allen, N., Atkinson, D., Morgan, M., Moore, T. & Snow, C. (1987). What experienced collaborators say about collaborative writing. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 1(2), 70-90.
Bakhshayesh, E. (2016). The contrary effect of collaborative writing on ESL students’ vocabulary acquisition. Sociology Study, 6(3), 196-203.
Bikowski, D. (2015). The Pedagogy of Collaboration: teaching effectively within an evolving technology landscape. Innovation in English Language Teacher Education, 223-231.
Bikowski, D., & Vithanage, R. (2016). Effects of web-based collaborative writing on individual L2 writing development. Language Learning & Technology, 20(1), 79-99.
Blueprint, M. E. (2016). Blueprint 2013-2025.(2013). Ministry of Education, Malaysia, 27.
Chao, Y. C. J., & Lo, H. C. (2011). Students' perceptions of wiki-based collaborative writing for learners of English as a foreign language. Interactive Learning Environments, 19(4), 395-411.
Chisholm, R. M. (1990). Coping with the problems of collaborative writing. Writing Across the Curriculum, 2, 90-108.
Clarke, V., Braun, V., & Hayfield, N. (2015). Thematic analysis. Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods, 222-248.
Deveci, T. (2018). Student Perceptions on Collaborative Writing in a Project-Based Course.
Universal Journal of Educational Research, 6(4), 721-732.
Dixson, M. (2016). Nonverbal immediacy behaviors & online student engagement: Bringing
past instructional research into the present virtual classroom. Communication Education, 66, 37-53.
Dobao, A. F. (2012). Collaborative writing tasks in the L2 classroom: Comparing group, pair, and individual work. Journal of Second Language Writing, 21(1), 40-58.
Donny, C. D., & Adnan, N. H. (2022). TESL Undergraduates’ Perceptions: Utilizing Social Media to Elevate Speaking Skills. Arab World English Journal, 13(4), 539 -561.
Elola, I., & Oskoz, A. (2010). Collaborative writing: Fostering foreign language and writing conventions development. Language Learning & Technology, 14(3), 51-71.
Fung, Y. M. (2010). Collaborative writing features. RELC Journal, 41(1), 18-30.
Garrison, D. (2009). Communities of inquiry in online learning. In P. Rogers (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of distance learning (2nd ed., pp. 352-355). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
Hsieh, Y. C. (2020). Learner interactions in face-to-face collaborative writing with the
support of online resources. ReCALL, 32(1), 85-105.
Hudson, J. (2018). Using Wikis for collaborative writing in the ELT classroom. International
Journal of Pedagogy and Teacher Education, 2(2), 413-426.
Kessler, G., Bikowski, D., & Boggs, J. (2012). Collaborative writing among second language learners in academic web-based projects. Language Learning & Technology, 16(1), 91-109.
Khodabakhshzadeh, H., & Samadi, F. (2017). The effect of collaborative writing on Iranian EFL learners’ task achievement in writing and their perception. International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 7(1), 113-119.
Lin, O. P., & Maarof, N. (2013). Collaborative writing in summary writing: Student perceptions and problems. Procedia-Social and Behavioural Sciences 90:599-606.
Liu, S. H. J., & Lan, Y. J. (2016). Social constructivist approach to web-based EFL learning: Collaboration, motivation, and perception on the use of Google Docs. Educational Technology & Society, 19, 171–186.
Adris, N. B., & Yamat, H. (2017). Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) as virtual grounds for second language learning: Players’ perception. In Proceedings of the International Seminar on Language Teaching (pp. 4- 5).
Norman, H., Adnan, N. H., Nordin, N., Ally, M., & Tsinakos, A. (2022). The educational digital divide for vulnerable students in the pandemic: Towards the New Agenda 2030. Sustainability, 14(16), 10332.
Rahmat, N. H. (2014). Constructivism in the ESL writing classroom: A case for collaborative essay writing. Creative Practices in Language Learning and Teaching (CPLT), 2(1), 1-15.
Remesal, A., & Colomina, R. (2013). Social presence & online collaborative small group work: A socioconstructivist account. Computers & Education, 60(1), 357-367.
Shea, J. H. (1995). Problems with collaborative learning. Journal of Geological Education, 43(4), 306-308.
Shehadeh, A. (2012). Effects and student perceptions of collaborative writing in L2. Journal of Second Language Writing, 20, 286-305.
Short, J., Williams, E., & Christie, B. (1976). The social psychology of telecommunications.
London: John Wiley & Sons.
Suwantarathip, O., & Wichadee, S. (2014). The Effects of Collaborative Writing Activity Using Google Docs on Students' Writing Abilities. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology-TOJET, 13(2), 148-156.
Storch, N. (2005). Collaborative writing: Product, process, and students’ reflections. Journal of Second Language Writing, 14(3), 153–173.
Storch, N. (2016). Collaborative writing. In R. M. Manchón & P. K. Matsuda (Eds.). Handbook of second and foreign language writing: 387-406. Boston and Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes.
Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Woodrich, M., & Fan, Y. (2017). Google Docs as a tool for collaborative writing in the middle school classroom. Journal of Information Technology Education Research, 16(16), 391-410.
Yan, C. (2020). A Study on the Cultivation of Non-English majors’ Autonomous Writing.
Yim, S., & Warschauer, M. (2019). Students initiating feedback: The potential of social media. In K. Hyland, & F. Hyland (Eds.). Feedback in second language writing: Contexts & issues (pp. 285-303). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Yim, S., & Warschauer, M. (2017). Web-based collaborative writing in L2 contexts: Methodological insights from text mining. Language Learning & Technology, 21(1), 146-165.
Zhou, W., Simpson, E., & Domizi, D. P. (2012). Google Docs in an out-of-class collaborative writing activity. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 24(3), 359-375.
(Zaki & Adnan, 2023)
Zaki, N. A. M., & Adnan, N. H. (2023). ESL Teachers’ Perceptions of Web-Based Collaborative Writing Activity. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 12(4), 1368-1392.
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode