Rationale
Since the 2006-2007 school year, Vietnamese high schools have included writing among the essential skills taught; however, significant challenges remain in effectively teaching these skills As an English teacher with ten years of experience and seven years using the new textbooks, I have observed that while my students can construct sentences and identify errors, they struggle with writing coherent paragraphs and essays This leads to a writing class environment that feels tedious and stressful for both students and teachers, resulting in a lack of motivation Consequently, students often focus solely on fulfilling teacher requirements to achieve grades rather than engaging meaningfully with the material.
In my quest to enhance the engagement of my writing lessons, I recalled the English proverb "Two heads are better than one" and became intrigued by the concept of "collaborative writing." However, my literature review revealed that this approach is rarely implemented in Vietnamese high schools This gap highlighted the necessity for action research to explore the effectiveness of collaborative writing among my students and determine its potential benefits.
Aims of the study…
This study focuses on the effects of collaborative writing on students' writing performance and their attitudes toward this method The author does not intend to address all aspects of collaborative writing but aims to explore these two key areas in depth.
- To gain the understanding what students like and dislike about this teaching approach
- To identify the extent to which collaborative writing helps students enhance their writing
In order to achieve the aims presented in the previous section, the following research questions were raised:
1 What are students’ attitudes toward collaborative writing?
2 How does students’ writing change after they use collaborative writing?
This study explores the effects of collaborative writing on high school students in Vietnam, focusing on its potential to boost motivation and improve writing skills By examining the impact of collaboration in writing classes, the research aims to enhance both student performance and teaching practices among educators.
This study presents an innovative approach to writing education for students, emphasizing the benefits of collaborative writing sessions By engaging in teamwork, students can enhance their participation in writing classes, learn effective peer feedback techniques, and gain valuable insights from their classmates to improve their writing skills.
This study is the first of its kind at our school to explore writing skills, aiming to enhance teachers' understanding of students' perspectives and attitudes during writing lessons It aspires to offer high school educators a new approach to effectively teach writing skills.
5 The scope of the study
This study focuses on how collaborative work enhances the writing skills of 11th-grade students while also exploring their preferences and aversions regarding collaborative writing activities.
The participants of this study were forty students of a class of 11 th grade at a high school, Bac Ninh Province of Vietnam
In this study, the researcher used both qualitative and quantitative methods in two phases of the study
In Phase 1, interviews were conducted with eight students and a teacher to explore the students' backgrounds in learning English and to identify the challenges they faced during previous writing lessons.
Phase 2: The researcher applied collaborative writing to teach a sample of students in writing lessons The data collection instruments in this phase included:
The study collected and analyzed two pieces of writing from each student before and after implementing collaborative writing techniques This analysis was conducted both qualitatively and quantitatively to assess the improvement in students' writing performance.
Students’ journals: students’ free-writing journals after each lesson were analyzed to investigate what students liked and disliked about collaborative writing
A post-treatment interview with the observing teacher was conducted to explore the strengths and weaknesses of collaborative writing from an alternative perspective, providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of the approach.
The study consists of three main parts:
Part A, INTRODUCTION presents the rationale of the study, the aims, the research questions, the significance, the scope, the method and the structure of the study
Part B is the DEVELOPMENT which includes three smaller chapters
Chaper I traces back the literature relating to collaborative writing
Chapter II outlines the research context and the informants participating in the study, detailing the writing tasks included in the textbook It also describes the research design, the teaching cycle implemented, and the methods and procedures used for data collection.
Chapter III reveals the findings on how the collaborative writing approach influences the writing performance of 11th-grade students, their attitudes towards collaborative writing, and the teacher's perspectives on this instructional method.
Part C, CONCLUSION which includes the major findings, the concluding remarks, limitations of the study and plan for the next research cycle
REFERENCES and APPENDICES are presented in the last pages of the research report
Collaborative writing (CW) or group writing (Couture & Rymer, 1989; Gere,
Collaborative writing (CW) emerged in the 1980s and has since garnered interest from numerous authors and scholars, leading to various definitions Bosley (1989) describes CW as a process where two or more individuals collaborate to create a written document, collectively taking responsibility for the final product Similarly, Haring-Smith (1994) emphasizes that collaborative writing involves multiple contributors who work together to develop a text.
“sharing responsibility” becomes essential Walter et all (2007, p.129) stresses on the responsibility and the contribution of each member of the group to the final product
Each team member plays an equal role in the planning, design, and writing processes, with shared responsibility for the final product Despite this collaborative effort, readers often find it challenging to perceive the equality among writers solely through the text.
Galegher and Kraut (1994) emphasize the social dynamics of computer-mediated communication (CW), viewing it as a process of social interaction They highlight key elements such as negotiating meanings, reaching consensus on solutions, ensuring fair division of labor, coordinating individual contributions, and addressing authority issues within groups.
Collaborative writing (CW) is a multifaceted concept that varies in definition among researchers and practitioners based on their specific interests In this thesis, CW is defined as a teaching and learning process where students collaborate in pairs or groups to create a single written product This approach emphasizes that the final text is a collective effort, requiring each group member to take responsibility for the outcome.
Collaboration in language learning, particularly in writing, offers numerous benefits for EFL students According to Walter et al (2007), collaborative writing (CW) enables students to pool ideas and receive immediate feedback from their peers, reducing stress and boosting their confidence in writing Additionally, CW fosters negotiation skills, helping students develop respect for differing opinions Trimbur (1999) highlights that collaborative writing instills a sense of pride in students as they share knowledge and linguistic resources, promoting a shared responsibility in completing writing tasks.