Online collaborative writing revision intervention outcomes for struggling and skilled writers: An initial finding

Abstract

This study examined struggling and skilled writers’ narrative writing performances when revising stories in pairs online as compared to students working independently. In the experimental group, 5 mixed-ability pairs of upper-elementary struggling writers and skilled writers engaged in online collaborative revision. In the control group, 5 upper-elementary struggling writers and 5 skilled writers engaged in independent digital story writing. The nonparametric and benchmark criteria results revealed that the struggling writers in the experimental group produced a longer posttest story by adding syntactically more complex sentences and higher-level story elements compared with those in the control group. Qualitative analysis showed that online collaborative revision activities contributed more to struggling writers’ performances than it did to the skilled writers’ performance with regards to higher-level thinking skills.

Keywords:

• Collaborative revision
• online writing instruction
• skilled writers
• Storybird
• struggling writers

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge deceased coauthor, Dr. Jill M. Olthouse, for her contribution to this research and her qualitative data analysis.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a West Virginia University Faculty Senate Research Grant.

Notes on contributors

Sung Hee Lee

Sung Hee Lee is an assistant professor at California State University, Fullerton. Her current research interests focus on investigating the integration of technology into literacy education of students with and without learning difficulties.

Malayna Bernstein

Malayna Bernstein is the director of learning sciences in the College of Education and Human Services at West Virginia University. Her research and teaching examine the cognitive and cultural dimensions of learning.

Zornitsa Georgieva

Zornitsa Georgieva is a college access and success research and policy analyst at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. Her research interests include college access, persistence, and degree completion.