Attention to Form in Collaborative Writing Tasks: Comparing Pair and Small Group Interaction

Abstract

Abstract: This study examines the opportunities that a collaborative writing task completed in pairs and in small groups offers for attention to form. Previous research suggests that collaborative writing activities encourage learners to focus their attention on language and to collaborate in the resolution of their language-related problems in ways that facilitate learning. While that research focused almost exclusively on dyads, the present study compares the performance of the same writing task by learners working in pairs (n = 64) and in groups of four (n = 80). It investigates the role played by the number of participants on the frequency, resolution, and length of language-related episodes (LREs) focused on Spanish past tense morphology. It also examines the learners’ level of engagement in these LREs. Findings indicate that both groups and pairs focused their attention on form relatively often, but groups produced a significantly higher number of past tense LREs and were also more successful at solving them. As a result, their texts were more accurate. The LREs produced by the groups were also longer and showed more evidence of elaborate engagement with past tense morphology, therefore providing enhanced opportunities for second language learning. The pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed.