The Collaborative Discussion Model: Developing Writing Skills through Prewriting Discussion
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the effect of peer-assisted prewriting discussion on second language (L2) academic writing and its benefits for students with different proficiency levels. While there is a significant body of research exploring the positive impact of collaboration on L2 writers' written performance and the ways it could be organised, there is little practical consideration on how to formulate explicit instruction. The rationale for this research lies in designing and arranging explicit instruction that could lead to L2 learners producing a higher quality writing output. Based on both qualitative and quantitative methods, and drawn on students’ written texts and data analysis, the current study was conducted to devise and test a proposed model, which the author will term the ‘collaborative discussion model’ (the CDM). The control and experimental groups of Russian EFL students (n = 48) were engaged in written assignments after naturally occurring discussions and then the latter group was involved in an instructor-led discussion. The practice writing tasks were rated with the analytic rubric used in IELTS, assessing task response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range. The findings suggest that collaborative prewriting tasks, accomplished in the experimental group of students with different levels of L2 proficiency, may encourage students to engage more in reflection about the content and language of the text. As the texts produced after introducing the CDM were scored higher, especially on the criteria of task response and lexical resource, it is suggested that scaffolding prewriting discussions can potentially augment the writing skills of learners and the CDM can be used as a complementary activity to address the challenges associated with academic writing. The results of the questionnaire can imply that there are benefits of explicit instruction for students with different levels of L2 proficiency, although in nuanced ways and different degrees.
Downloads
References
British council. (n.d.). IELTS Task 2 writing descriptors. https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/ielts_task_2_writing_band_descriptors.pdf.
Chen, W., & Yu, S. (2019). A longitudinal case study of changes in students' attitudes, participation, and learning in collaborative writing. System, 82, 83-96. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SYSTEM.2019.03.005
Council of Europe. (2011). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment (12th ed). Cambridge University Press.
De Smedt, F., Graham, S., & Van Keer, H. (2020). It takes two: The added value of structured peer-assisted writing in explicit writing instruction. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 60, 101835. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2019.101835
DiCamilla, F., & Anton, M. (2012).Functions of L1 in the collaborative interaction of beginning and advanced second language learners. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 22(2), 160-188. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1473-4192.2011.00302.x
Edstrom, A. (2015). Triads in the L2 classroom: Interaction patterns and engagement during a collaborative task. System, 52, 26-37. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2015.04.014
Ellis, R., & Yuan, F. (2003). The effects of pre-task and on-line planning on fluency, complexity and accuracy in L2 monologic oral production. Applied Linguistics, 24(1), 1-27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/24.1.1
Elola, I., & Oskoz, A. (2010). Collaborative writing: fostering foreign language and writing conventions development. Language Learning and Technology, 14(3), 51-71.
Fernandez Dobao, A. (2012). Collaborative writing tasks in the L2 classroom: comparing group, pair, and individual work. Journal of Second Language Writing, 21, 40-58. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2011.12.002
Fernandez Dobao, A. (2014). Attention to Form in collaborative writing tasks: Comparing pair and small group interaction. The Canadian Modern Language Review/La Revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 70(2), 158-187. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.1768
Kang, S., & Lee, J.-H. (2019). Are two heads always better than one? The effects of collaborative planning on L2 writing in relation to task complexity. Journal of Second Language Writing, 45, 61-72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2018.15.4.4.945
Kim, Y. (2008). The contribution of collaborative and individual tasks to the acquisition of L2 vocabulary. Modern Language Journal, 92(1), 114-130. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2008.00690.x
Kim, Y. (2009). The effects of task complexity on learner-learner interaction. System, 37, 254-268. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2009.02.003
Leeser, M. J. (2004). Learner proficiency and focus on form during collaborative dialogue. Language Teaching Research, 8, 55-81. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1191/1362168804lr134oa
Mascolo, M.F. (2009). Beyond student-centered and teacher-centered pedagogy: Teaching and learning as guided participation. Pedagogy and the Human Sciences, 1(1), 3-27.
McDonough, K., & De Vleeschauwerb, J. (2019). Comparing the effect of collaborative and individual prewriting on EFL learners' writing development. Journal of Second Language Writing, 44, 123-130. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2019.04.003
Neumann, H., & McDonough, K. (2014). Exploring relationships among student preferences, prewriting tasks, and text quality in an EAP context. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 15, 14-26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2014.05.002
Neumann, H., & McDonough, K. (2015). Exploring student interaction during collaborative prewriting discussions and its relationship to L2 writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 27, 84-104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2014.09.009
Pospelova, T. B. (2016). The influence of self-editing on micro skills development in academic writing in English as a second language. Journal of Language and Education, 2(1), 30-38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17323/2411-7390-2016-2-1-30-38
Rahimpour, M., Mehrang, F., & Hosseini P. (2011). Effects of task design on EFL learners' written language performance. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 8(2), 95-117.
Simons, K. D., & Klein, J. D. (2007). The impact of scaffolding and student achievement levels in a problem-based learning environment. Instructional Science, 35, 41-72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-006-9002-5
Storch, N. (2005). Collaborative writing: Product, process, and students' reflections. Journal of Second Language Writing, 14, 153-173. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2005.05.002
Suzuki, W., & Itagaki, N. (2007). Learner metalinguistic reflections following output-oriented and reflective activities. Language Awareness, 16(2), 131-146. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2167/la392.0
Swain, M. (2006). Languaging, agency and collaboration in advanced language proficiency. In H. Byrnes (Ed.), Advanced language learning: The contribution of Halliday and Vygotsky (pp. 95-108). Continuum.
Swain, M. (2010). ‘Talking it through': Languaging as a source of learning. In R. Batstone (Ed.), Sociocognitive perspectives on language use and language learning (pp. 112-130). Oxford University Press.
Swain, M., & Lapkin, S. (1998). Interaction and second language learning: Two adolescent French immersion students working together. The Modern Language Journal, 82(3), 320-337. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1998.tb01209.x
Swain, M., & Lapkin, S. (2001). Focus on form through collaborative dialogue: Exploring task effects. In M. Bygate, P. Skehan, & M. Swain (Eds.), Researching pedagogic tasks (pp. 99-118). Longman.
TEAL Center. (2012). Just write! Guide. https://teal.ed.gov/resources.
Teng, L. S. & Zhang, L. J. (2019). Empowering learners in the second/foreign language classroom: Can self-regulated learning strategies-based writing instruction make a difference? Journal of Second Language Writing, 48, 100701. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2019.100701
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
Watanabe, Y., & Swain, M. (2007). Effects of proficiency differences and patterns of pair interaction on second language learning: Collaborative dialogue between adult ESL learners. Language Teaching Research, 11(2), 121-142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/136216880607074599
Watanabe, Y., & Swain, M. (2008). Perception of learner proficiency: Its impact on the interaction between an ESL learner and her higher and lower proficiency partners. Language Awareness, 17(2), 115-130. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09658410802146651
Wigglesworth, G., & Storch, N. (2009). Pair versus individual writing: effects on fluency, complexity and accuracy. Language Testing, 26(3), 445-466. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532209104670
Wigglesworth, G., & Storch, N. (2012). What role for collaboration in writing and writing feedback. Journal of Second Language Writing, 21, 364-374. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2012.09.005
Williams, J. (2001). The effectiveness of spontaneous attention to form. System, 29(3), 325-340. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0346-251X(01)00022-7
Williams, J. (2008). The speaking-writing connection in second language and academic literacy development. In D. Belcher & Hirvela, A. (Eds.), The oral-literate connection: Perspectives on L2 speaking, writing, and other media interactions (pp. 10-25). University of Michigan Press.
Yazdi Amirkhiz, S. Y., Abu Bakar, K., Samad, A.A., Baki, R.,& Mahmoudi, L. (2013). EFL/ESL learners' language related episodes (LREs) during performing collaborative writing tasks. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 4(3), 473-479. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4304/jltr.4.3.473-479
Zambrano R., J., Kirschner, F., Sweller, J., & Kirschner, P. A. (2019). Effects of prior knowledge on collaborative and individual learning. Learning and Instruction, 63, 101214. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2019.05.011
Copyright (c) 2021 National Research University Higher School of Economics
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the Copyright Notice.
