Wiki mediated collaborative writing activity in EFL classroom: exploring teacher’s online intervention and its effect on students’ online collaboration
L2 empirical studies have reported the effectiveness of using wikis to promote students collaboration during the completion of writing activities. Although studies found evidence of positive collaborative behaviours (Bradley, Lindstrom, & Rystedt, 2010; Kessler & Bikowski, 2010; Li & Zhu, 2011), some studies reported inactive and unequal participation (Arnold, Ducate, Lomicka, & Lord, 2009), less attention to form (Kessler, 2009) and an individual ownership of the text (Grant, 2009; Lund 2008) .Therefore, it has been suggested that teachers have a role to play in promoting collaboration in wiki activities. Although the role of teachers has been emphasized in FTF and Web 1.0 contexts (Lamy & Goodfellow, 1999; Mercer, 1995; Yoon & Kim, 2012), few studies have explored the role of teachers in the context of online wiki activities.
This study aims to fill this gap by exploring teachers’ and students’ online behaviours when engaging in wiki based collaborative writing activities. The study employs a qualitative multiple case study design. The participants were three EFL teachers and their secondary school students (aged 17-18 yrs.) from Kuwaiti government secondary schools. Data was collected over a period of thirteen weeks. Threaded discussion and the edits history were analysed and triangulated with interviews with teacher and students’. In this presentation, Findings in relation to only one case in which students were observed to engage in positive collaborative behaviours will be discussed.
Computer Mediated Discourse Analysis (Herring, 2004; 2013) of interaction during the wiki activities in the wiki text and threaded modes suggested that students were interacting collaboratively. They were engaging in instances of collective planning, languagging, collective scaffoldings, editing others’ texts and expanding on other’s ideas. Furthermore, a high number of socio-affective comments were observed. In this case, the teacher was intervening in a way that promoted these behaviours by modelling and encouraging editing behaviours, questioning language use, setting group rules and promoting the group cohesion.
In conclusion, findings of this study confirm the key role that teachers play in regulating students’ online wiki collaborations. However, it is argued that it is not sufficient for teachers to be present in the wiki activities. Rather, teachers need to actively encourage dialogic interaction between students themselves. It is therefore recommended that teachers’ training related to the use of wikis focus on pedagogy as well as technological aspect of the environment.
References:
Arnold, N., Ducate, L., Lomicka, L., & Lord, G. (2009). Assessing online collaboration among language teachers: A cross-institutional case study. Journal of interactive online learning, 8(2), 121-139.
Bradley, L., Lindstrom, B., & Rystedt, H. (2010). Rationalities of collaboration for language learning in a wiki. ReCALL, 22(2), 247-265.
Grant, L. (2009). ‘I DON’T’ CARE DO UR OWN PAGE!’ A case study of using wikis for collaborative work in a UK secondary school. Learning,Media and Technology, 34(2), 105-117.
Herring, S. (2004). Computer Mediated discourse analysis: An approach to researching online behavior. In S. Barab, R. Kling & J. Gray (Eds.), Designing for Virtual communities in the service of learning (pp. 338-376). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Herring, S. (2013). Discourse in Web 2.0: Familiar , reconfigured and emergent. In D. Tannen & A. Tester (Eds.), Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and Linguistics 2011: Discourse 2.0: Language and new media (pp. 1-25). Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Kessler, G. (2009). Student-initiated attention to form in wiki-based collaborative writing. Language learning and Technology, 13(1), 79-95.
Kessler, G., & Bikowski, D. (2010). Developing collaborative autonomous learning abilities in computer mediated language learning : attention to meaning among students in wiki space. Computer assisted language learning, 23(1), 41-58.
Lamy, M., & Goodfellow, R. (1999). Supporting language students' interaction in web-based conferencing. Compputer Assisted Language Learning, 12(5), 457-477.
Li, M., & Zhu, W. (2011). Patterns of computer mediated interaction in small writing groups using wiki. Computer assisted language learning, 26(1), 61-82.
Lund , A. (2008). Wikis: a collective approach to language production. ReCALL, 20(1), 35-54.
Mercer, N. (1995). The Guided construction of Knowledge: Talk amongst teachers and learners. Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters.
Yoon, B., & Kim, H. (Eds.). (2012). Teachers' roles in second language learning: classroom applications of sociocultural theory. Charlotte, NC : Information Age Publishing.
L2 empirical studies have reported the effectiveness of using wikis to promote students collaboration during the completion of writing activities. Although studies found evidence of positive collaborative behaviours (Bradley, Lindstrom, & Rystedt, 2010; Kessler & Bikowski, 2010; Li & Zhu, 2011), some studies reported inactive and unequal participation (Arnold, Ducate, Lomicka, & Lord, 2009), less attention to form (Kessler, 2009) and an individual ownership of the text (Grant, 2009; Lund 2008) .Therefore, it has been suggested that teachers have a role to play in promoting collaboration in wiki activities. Although the role of teachers has been emphasized in FTF and Web 1.0 contexts (Lamy & Goodfellow, 1999; Mercer, 1995; Yoon & Kim, 2012), few studies have explored the role of teachers in the context of online wiki activities.
This study aims to fill this gap by exploring teachers’ and students’ online behaviours when engaging in wiki based collaborative writing activities. The study employs a qualitative multiple case study design. The participants were three EFL teachers and their secondary school students (aged 17-18 yrs.) from Kuwaiti government secondary schools. Data was collected over a period of thirteen weeks. Threaded discussion and the edits history were analysed and triangulated with interviews with teacher and students’. In this presentation, Findings in relation to only one case in which students were observed to engage in positive collaborative behaviours will be discussed.
Computer Mediated Discourse Analysis (Herring, 2004; 2013) of interaction during the wiki activities in the wiki text and threaded modes suggested that students were interacting collaboratively. They were engaging in instances of collective planning, languagging, collective scaffoldings, editing others’ texts and expanding on other’s ideas. Furthermore, a high number of socio-affective comments were observed. In this case, the teacher was intervening in a way that promoted these behaviours by modelling and encouraging editing behaviours, questioning language use, setting group rules and promoting the group cohesion.
In conclusion, findings of this study confirm the key role that teachers play in regulating students’ online wiki collaborations. However, it is argued that it is not sufficient for teachers to be present in the wiki activities. Rather, teachers need to actively encourage dialogic interaction between students themselves. It is therefore recommended that teachers’ training related to the use of wikis focus on pedagogy as well as technological aspect of the environment.
References:
Arnold, N., Ducate, L., Lomicka, L., & Lord, G. (2009). Assessing online collaboration among language teachers: A cross-institutional case study. Journal of interactive online learning, 8(2), 121-139.
Bradley, L., Lindstrom, B., & Rystedt, H. (2010). Rationalities of collaboration for language learning in a wiki. ReCALL, 22(2), 247-265.
Grant, L. (2009). ‘I DON’T’ CARE DO UR OWN PAGE!’ A case study of using wikis for collaborative work in a UK secondary school. Learning,Media and Technology, 34(2), 105-117.
Herring, S. (2004). Computer Mediated discourse analysis: An approach to researching online behavior. In S. Barab, R. Kling & J. Gray (Eds.), Designing for Virtual communities in the service of learning (pp. 338-376). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Herring, S. (2013). Discourse in Web 2.0: Familiar , reconfigured and emergent. In D. Tannen & A. Tester (Eds.), Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and Linguistics 2011: Discourse 2.0: Language and new media (pp. 1-25). Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Kessler, G. (2009). Student-initiated attention to form in wiki-based collaborative writing. Language learning and Technology, 13(1), 79-95.
Kessler, G., & Bikowski, D. (2010). Developing collaborative autonomous learning abilities in computer mediated language learning : attention to meaning among students in wiki space. Computer assisted language learning, 23(1), 41-58.
Lamy, M., & Goodfellow, R. (1999). Supporting language students' interaction in web-based conferencing. Compputer Assisted Language Learning, 12(5), 457-477.
Li, M., & Zhu, W. (2011). Patterns of computer mediated interaction in small writing groups using wiki. Computer assisted language learning, 26(1), 61-82.
Lund , A. (2008). Wikis: a collective approach to language production. ReCALL, 20(1), 35-54.
Mercer, N. (1995). The Guided construction of Knowledge: Talk amongst teachers and learners. Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters.
Yoon, B., & Kim, H. (Eds.). (2012). Teachers' roles in second language learning: classroom applications of sociocultural theory. Charlotte, NC : Information Age Publishing.