How Does the Use of Cohesive Devices in L2 Individual Writing Change After Writing Collaboratively or Independently?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1404.06Keywords:
collaborative writing, cohesive devices, second language writingAbstract
This study looked at how completing collaborative or independent writing can affect the individual writing that students subsequently produce; specifically at how the use of cohesive devices in individual L2 student writing changes as a result of completing these two writing procedures under the same conditions. To do so, this large-scale study (n=128) looked at the use of cohesive devices in individual writing completed before (pre-test) and after (post-test) either collaborative or independent writing had been carried out. It also assessed examples of collaborative writing dialogue (n=94) to identify student deliberation about cohesion and the organization of the coauthored text; comparing the frequency of these to discussions about language use and mechanics of writing. Results revealed that there were very similar significant changes in the use of cohesive devices in the individual post-test writing of students from both writing groups and minimal student discussion about the use of cohesive devices in collaborative writing dialogue. Therefore, it is possible that the changes noted in the collaborative writing group (and the independent writing group) were possibly due to instruction and not due to the type of writing completed. On the other hand, students frequently engaged in discussions about language use and thus collaborative writing may be more conducive to learning about this aspect of writing.
References
Basterrechea, M., & Gallardo-del-Puerto, F. (2023). Collaborative writing and patterns of interaction in young learners: The interplay between pair dynamics and pairing method in LRE production. Vigo International Journal of Applied Linguistics, (20), 49-76.
Bikowski, D., & Vithanage, R. (2016). Effects of web-based collaborative writing on individual L2 writing development. Language Learning & Technology, 20(1), 79-99.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Routledge.
Crossley, S. A., Kyle, K., & McNamara, D. S. (2016). The development and use of cohesive devices in L2 writing and their relations to judgments of essay quality. Journal of Second Language Writing, 32, 1-16.
Davison, I. (2021). The Effects of Carrying Out Collaborative Writing on the Individual Writing Proficiency of English Second Language Learners in an English for Academic Purposes Program. Lancaster University (United Kingdom).
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.
Elola, I., & Oskoz, A. (2023). Sociocultural approaches to L2 digital collaborative writing. L2 Collaborative Writing in Diverse Learning Contexts, 59, 12-31.
Fortune, A., & Thorp, D. (2001). Knotted and entangled: New light on the identification, classification and value of language related episodes in collaborative output tasks. Language Awareness, 10(2-3), 143-160.
Halliday, M. A. K., & Hasan, R. (1976). Cohesion in English. English Language Series, London: Longman.
Hsu, H. C., & Lo, Y. F. (2018). Using wiki-mediated collaboration to foster L2 writing performance. Language Learning & Technology, 22(3), 103-123.
Johnson, R. L., Penny, J., Gordon, B., Shumate, S. R., & Fisher, S. P. (2005). Resolving score differences in the rating of writing samples: Does discussion improve the accuracy of scores? Language Assessment Quarterly: An International Journal, 2(2), 117-146.
Khatib, M., & Meihami, H. (2015). Languaging and writing skill: The effect of collaborative writing on EFL students’ writing performance. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 6(1), 203-211.
Manchón, R. (Ed.). (2011). Learning-to-write and writing-to-learn in an additional language (Vol. 31). John Benjamins Publishing.
McDonough, K., De Vleeschauwer, J., & Crawford, W. (2018). Comparing the quality of collaborative writing, collaborative prewriting, and individual texts in a Thai EFL context. System, 74, 109-120.
Mozaffari, S. H. (2017). Comparing student-selected and teacher-assigned pairs on collaborative writing. Language Teaching Research, 21(4), 496-516.
Pallant, J. (2003). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using SPSS. McGraw-Hill Education.
Philp, J., Adams, Rebecca Jane, & Iwashita, Noriko. (2014). Peer interaction and second language learning (Second language acquisition research). New York; Abingdon: Routledge.
Polio, C. (2011). How to research second language writing. Research methods in second language acquisition: A practical guide, 139-157.
Shehadeh, A. (2011). Effects and student perceptions of collaborative writing in L2. Journal of Second Language Writing, 20(4), 286-305.
Storch, N. (2002). Patterns of interaction in ESL pair work. Language learning, 52(1), 119-158.
Storch, N. (2005). Collaborative writing: Product, process and students’ reflection. Journal of Second Language Writing, 14, 153–173.
Storch, N. (2013). Collaborative writing in L2 classrooms (Vol. 31). Multilingual Matters.
Storch, N. (2019). Collaborative writing. Language Teaching, 52(1), 40-59.
Storch, N., & Wigglesworth, G. (2007). Writing tasks: The Effects of Collaboration. In M. P. García Mayo (Ed.), Investigating tasks in formal language learning (pp. 157–177). London: Multilingual Matters.
Swain, M. (2000). The output hypothesis and beyond: Mediating acquisition through collaborative dialogue. In J. P. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 97–114). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Swain, M., & Lapkin, S. (1998). Interaction and second language learning: Two adolescent French immersion students working together. Modern Language Journal, 82(3), 320–337.
Tanskanen, S. K. (2006). Collaborating towards coherence: Lexical cohesion in English discourse (Vol. 146). John Benjamins Publishing.
Van Gelderen, A., Oostdam, R., & van Schooten, E. (2011). Does foreign language writing benefit from increased lexical fluency? Evidence from a classroom experiment. Language Learning, 61(1), 281-321.
Villarreal, I., & Gil-Sarratea, N. (2019). The effect of collaborative writing in an EFL secondary setting. Language Teaching Research, 24(6), 874-897.
Weigle, S. (2002). Assessing Writing (Cambridge Language Assessment). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wigglesworth, G., & Storch, N. (2009). Pair versus individual writing: Effects on fluency, complexity and accuracy. Language Testing, 26(3), 445-466.
Yang, W., & Sun, Y. (2012). The use of cohesive devices in argumentative writing by Chinese EFL learners at different proficiency levels. Linguistics and Education, 23(1), 31- 48.
