Second Language Learners’ Peer Interaction During Collaborative Writing in Online Platforms

The purpose of this study was to explore second language (L2) learners" peer interaction in synchronous online collaborative writing using Google Docs. This study investigated how five L2 learners in a group were engaged in peer interaction in the three stages of collaborative writing (i.e., the writing stage, the peer review stage, and the revision stage) and how they perceive their peer interaction and the use of online tools. The recordings of students" interactions in the group collaborative writing and survey responses on their perceptions were collected and analyzed qualitatively. The findings showed that the learners mostly used the cooperation revision strategy and the synchronous hands-on strategies in all three stages. Moreover, several key features of the learners" peer interaction as peer feedback in the three stages included indirect ways of asking for help, initiation of peer feedback by different proficiency level students, and contingently responsive feedback. It was also found that the learners mostly had a positive perception of synchronous online collaborative writing and the use of Google Docs. This study provides pedagogical implications for integrating online collaborative writing tasks in L2 writing classrooms.