Developing foreign language skills, competence and identity through a collaborative creative writing project

Abstract

This study examined the effects of a collaborative creative writing project on identity formation and overall language proficiency development among advanced Hebrew students. In an exercise called ‘The Zoning Committee’, college students created the fictional Israeli-American town of Beit Shemesh, located in northern Michigan. Qualitative data collection methods consisting of semi-structured group interviews, observation and text analysis of story drafts showed that the writing project gave students an opportunity to explore significant issues about the Jewish community and their personal lives as manifested in themes and motifs in their fiction. In addition to the social and intrapersonal benefits, the project was beneficial to language proficiency development: it increased confidence and classroom morale, required strategy use, improved writing level and honed listening and speaking skills.