Effects of Collaborative Writing Instruction on EFL Students’ Paragraph Writing Performance

Abstract With increasing recognition of peer interaction in writing pedagogy, this study examined the effects of collaborative writing instruction (CWI) on English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ paragraph writing performance. A quasi-experimental embedded mixed-methods design was employed on EFL students attending freshman courses in the social science stream at one of the Ethiopian universities. Out of a total of 12 sections, two sections, each with 53 and 51 students, were selected for the study based on convenience sampling. These two sections were assigned randomly to the collaborative writing and the individual writing groups. During the intervention, which lasted for twelve weeks, the students in the control group were taught using the individual writing tasks, while the students in the experimental group were taught using the collaborative writing tasks. Pre- and post-tests were employed to collect data. The quantitative findings showed a statistically significant difference in paragraph writing performance between the two groups in favor of the experimental group. Students’ reflective responses further revealed CWI enhanced peer interaction, participation, and writing confidence, although unequal participation and time limitations were noted. Overall, the findings suggest that CWI is an effective pedagogical practice for improving paragraph writing performance and should be integrated into EFL curricula. This study also contributes to enhancing educational quality and inclusive learning practices by providing insights into effective collaborative teaching strategies that improve EFL students’ learning outcomes.