Using a wiki-based collaborative process writing pedagogy to facilitate collaborative writing among Chinese primary school students

Abstract

This case study explored collaborative writing in Chinese among 59 primary four Chinese students using a Wiki-based Collaborative Process Writing Pedagogy (WCPWP) in Shenzhen, China. It aimed mainly to design and orchestrate a WCPWP in order to facilitate students' Chinese writing. It investigated students' collaborative writing process and their performance on a wiki, and explored the perceptions and attitudes of the teacher and her students towards WCPWP. A wiki-based writing environment named Joyous Writing Club (JWC) was designed and developed using MediaWiki software. Data was collected from questionnaires, online wiki documents, interviews, and observations. The results illustrated students' collaborative writing process and their products on the wiki. Besides, the results showed that students perceived WCPWP was beneficial in boosting writing motivation, increasing group interactions, and extending the audience for their writing. This study may help primary educators gain a deeper understanding of the relationships between technology, pedagogy and education. It may also provide practical recommendations for primary school Chinese language teachers in the integration of Web 2.0 tools (wikis, Google Docs) as well as the use of effective pedagogical strategies in the teaching of Chinese writing.