ESL Learners Processes and Perceptions of Using Google Docs in Collaborative Academic Writing

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the processes of learners' collaborative writing using Google Docs and their perceptions of the collaborative process. Twenty-four undergraduate ESL learners undertaking an academic writing course participated in this study. They were tasked with a paired writing assignment as part of the coursework. Google Docs was used by each pair in revising their drafts before they submitted the final version of their academic essay. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the qualitative phase involved conducting a textual analysis based on the drafts that the students prepared. The categories used to analyse the revisions were adapted from Kessler et al.'s (2012) analytical categories to understand the focus of learners' revisions. Students' responses to an online survey administered at the end of the course formed the quantitative data. The findings provide insights into the processes of collaborative online writing and students' perceived usefulness of Google Docs as a tool for collaboration.