Korean EFL Learners’ Approach to and Perception of Computer-supported Collaborative Writing

Abstract

The study explored computer-supported collaborative writing (CSCW) from learners’ perspectives, in terms of the writing process and challenges and benefits associated with CSCW. A total of 26 college students from two writing classes participated in this study. One class used a wiki and the other class used Daedalus for CSCW. The students first experienced writing individually on a wiki or Daedalus for two weeks and then wrote essays as a group for two weeks. They were asked to write learning journals at the end of each class and reflection journals after experiencing CSCW. The study found some similarities and differences in the way the students performed collaborative writing tasks. It is interesting to note that the students did not always work together for collaborative writing. Regarding difficulties, the students reported feeling psychological burden, facing disagreement or conflict, or dealing with different writing styles. They also mentioned some benefits of CSCW, including lowered writing apprehension or improved writing skills through their peers’ texts. The findings of the study are useful for understanding the processes involved in CSCW and thus can be used to design an effective writing lesson.