Online Task-Based Collaborative Writing: The Effect of Group Size on Attention to Linguistic Form.

This study investigates how peer group size affects attention to linguistic form during synchronous, technology-mediated collaborative writing among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners at a Philippine public university. Using Google Docs with integrated text chat, 42 teacher education students worked in pairs, small groups (4), and large groups (6) to collaboratively write narratives based on video commercials, with language-related episodes (LREs) analyzed as indicators of focus on form. Results showed that groups generated more LREs than pairs, with small groups producing a higher proportion of correctly resolved LREs than large groups, which faced challenges managing communication and had more unresolved episodes. The findings suggest that groups of four provide an optimal balance for collaborative monitoring and linguistic engagement in text-based online writing tasks, highlighting the importance of considering group size in designing technology-mediated language-learning activities.