Task repetition and collaborative writing by EFL children: Beyond CAF measures

Abstract

Research into the potential of collaborative writing is relatively new. Similarly, task repetition (TR), which has been claimed to be a valuable tool for language learning, has been rarely explored in the context of writing. Therefore, little is known about the potential of combining TR and collaborative writing, and even less if we focus on young learners (YLs), who constitute a generally under-researched population. With these research gaps in mind, the present study examines the compositions of 10 pairs of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) (aged 12) who write the same text in response to the same picture prompt three times over a three-week period. Our analysis includes the language-related episodes (LREs) that learners generate while writing collaboratively and, also, a thorough analysis of the three drafts that students produce, including quantitative (complexity, accuracy and fluency (CAF)) and holistic measures. Results show that learners’ compositions improve with repetition when measured by holistic ratings although CAF measures fail to grasp this improvement. As for the LREs, a great amount was found, most of the episodes were focused on form, most were successfully resolved and their amount declined with TR. In light of these results we argue in favor of the inclusion of holistic measures when analyzing students’ productions and discuss the positive effects of collaborative writing in the context of TR with YLs.

Are EFL Writers Motivated or Demotivated by Model Texts and Task Repetition? Evidence from Young Collaborative Writers

“…In recent years, external exact TR with and without feedback has come to the forefront of writing research thanks to its potential to improve written drafts and offer learning opportunities, in particular, with learners writing in collaboration, as students can deliberate, give feedback to each other and write better texts (Storch, 2013 for a summary). Thus, several empirical studies focusing on external TR without the provision of feedback have proved the potential of repeating the exact same writing task several times to improve the written products of adults (Amiryousefi, 2016;Kim, Kang, et al, 2020) and children (Hidalgo & Lázaro-Ibarrola, 2020;Lázaro-Ibarrola & Hidalgo, 2021), although the specific learning outcomes reported by different studies are far from homogeneous. For instance, regarding adult populations, Nitta and Baba (2014) conducted a unique piece of research on the effects of mass TR with forty-six first-year Japanese university students.…”

“…As for YLs, very few studies have focused on external exact TR without the provision of WCF so far. Hidalgo and Lázaro-Ibarrola (2020) examined the compositions of 10 pairs of primary school EFL learners (aged 12) who wrote the same text in response to the same picture prompt three times over a three-week period. The compositions improved with repetition when measured by holistic ratings (although not when measured by CAF measures).…”

Students’ Online Experiences in Online Collaborative Writing with Focus on Language Rules

“…It is in line with Bikowski & Vithanage (2016) who found that students in collaborative revision web-based writing experienced statistically significant writing improvement. Additionally, writing together may offer students occasions to use the target language in a meaningful context and share their knowledge on language use and combined with the repetition of the same draft, which enabled learners to produce a better final text (Hidalgo & Lázaro-Ibarrola, 2020). Through collaborative interaction, students feel freer to explore and discuss other relevant ideas that can enrich their writing tasks (Taalas et al, 2018) and collaborative writing gives some benefits to students during the learning process i.e., enhance their collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills.…”

“…The students have further interaction in the class as it involves social relations between group members (Nykopp et al, 2019) and giving or getting some feedback for their writing revision, where collaborative revision allows students to produce more grammatically accurate text (Villarreal & Gil-Sarratea, 2020). Hidalgo & Lázaro-Ibarrola (2020) believe that collaborative writing combines the benefits of oral interaction and writing tasks. During the interaction, learners engage in meaningful use of the target language and have opportunities to negotiate for meaning and produce modified output.…”

Developing Literacy Skills through Collaborative Tasks for Emerging-Proficiency English as Additional Language Learners in Quebec

“…As they are communicating for meaning, communicative breakdowns may occur and students may ask clarification questions, ask for repetition, and discuss specific lexical items, which boosts AL development (Kim, 2015). An added benefit is that students repeat their information (this time to students who have not read the same text), and through repeated output, research has shown benefits for EAL learners (Hidalgo & Lázaro-Ibarrola, 2020;Shintani, 2018). During the implementation of this task, there was no requirement to produce output about the two new organizations (no note-taking activity).…”