EFL learners’ peer negotiations and attitudes in mobile-assisted collaborative writing

Abstract

Based on the advantages of collaborative writing and the advanced development of mobile technology, this study investigated the communication process and attitudes of a group of college students toward collaborative writing using a Google Docs app on an English writing course. Online collaborative writing assignments were assigned by the instructor in class, while the English as a foreign language (EFL) students were required to work on the writing assignments online. The researchers examined participants’ peer negotiations in this mobile-enhanced, collaborative writing project, focusing on these EFL learners’ negotiation discourse patterns and strategies. The research questions were: 1) What kinds of discourse functions do students produce in online collaborative writing tasks? 2) What kinds of peer negotiation strategies do students use in online collaborative writing tasks? and 3) What are students’ attitudes toward online collaborative writing tasks? A mixed methodology was applied. The findings revealed that participants had a generally positive attitude toward the collaborative writing experience. The results are also discussed in terms of learners’ peer negotiation strategies and types of discourse functions.