Unlocking Potential: Exploring the Enduring Impact of Collaborative Writing on Lower-Proficiency EFL Learners

Background/purpose. This study investigated the short-term and long-term impact of collaborative writing on lower-proficiency English as a foreign language (EFL) students in Saudi Arabia. It investigated whether co-authoring enhanced the writing standard, which areas effectively evolved and how effectively the students retained their writing skills in the long run.

Materials/methods. A quasi-experimental design was adopted, with 28 male Saudi university students enrolled in a Writing I course. Participants witnessed the eight-week collaborative writing process, took a post-test, and then took a delayed post-test after a one-month interval. Essay writing fluency was measured with the ESL Composition Profile, while paired t-tests and ANOVA were conducted to compare writing performance changes.

Results. Collaborative writing led to better content development, organization, and word choice. Nevertheless, the results for grammatical accuracy and mechanics revealed low retention in the delayed post-tests, indicating more reinforcement was needed. In addition, students who had lower initial writing skills made the highest gains but showed the greatest decay in skills later on.

Conclusion. Collaborative writing appeared to have a positive impact on the development of EFL writing skills; however, it is important to have organized peer feedback and long-term writing practice. Further research is needed to determine whether using digital tools to support collaborative writing can increase long-term retention.

Keywords: Collaborative writing, EFL, longitudinal, Saudi Arabia, writing retention

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