A Critical Review of Collaborative Learning in Academic Writing Classes

Abstract

Writing has long been regarded as one of the most challenging skill in language education, as it requires only lexical resources and grammatical knowledge, but it demands social sensitivity. The emergence of the collaborative writing models has proved its significance in the ability to enhance academic writing performance. Collaborative writing allows learners to exchange ideas and expand the personal language repertoire. Learners are also able to enhance self reflection. However, the success of employing collaborative writing is still limited to certain factors. This paper is a critical review of the merits and reality of using collaborative writing in tertiary education. Certain recommendations are also made in this paper to optimise the effectiveness of collaborative writing in academic writing classes.