Using wikis for collaborative writing in the english for tourism classroom

[eng] The recent surge in studies and literature on the use of wikis and other Web 2.0 tools in language learning emphasizes the pedagogical benefits of using these tools for collaborative writing tasks in the Foreign Language classroom. Nonetheless, existing research regarding collaborative writing...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Zanatta, Anna Marie
Tipo de recurso: tesis doctoral
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/121917
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/121917
http://hdl.handle.net/10803/482229
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Aprenentatge integrat de continguts i llengües estrangeres
Wikis (Informàtica)
Internet en l'ensenyament
Content and Language Integrated Learning
Wikis (Computer science)
Internet in education
Descripción
Sumario:[eng] The recent surge in studies and literature on the use of wikis and other Web 2.0 tools in language learning emphasizes the pedagogical benefits of using these tools for collaborative writing tasks in the Foreign Language classroom. Nonetheless, existing research regarding collaborative writing projects involving more than two writers is limited. This may, in part, be due to the fact that writing is a complex and challenging act which becomes even more so when it is collaborative and involves more than two people. Furthermore, the implementation of a wiki or any other digital collaborative writing tool may serve to complicate rather than facilitate it even more. This dissertation presents a mixed methods case study of the use of a wiki for a collaborative writing project carried out in the English for Tourism classroom at the higher education level. The subjects of the study, 63 first-year students enrolled in a 4-year degree program in Tourism Studies at a private institution in Barcelona, were participants of an English for Tourism language course divided into 3 different class groups based on language proficiency and led by 3 different teachers. A total of 18 small working groups of 3 or 4 students participated in the project known as Touripedia which took place over a 6 month period divided into 3 project phases. Findings from this study reveal how student use and perceptions of the wiki tool differ according to the three phases of the collaborative writing project. The overriding goal of this research is to provide understanding of how the wiki influences learner processes and perceptions when involved in a collaborative writing task. By offering insight and guidelines which increase learning opportunities and minimize the challenges of effective use of the wiki tool, this study also aims to assist language teachers considering the implementation of such activities into their own classrooms and may also help software designers to better understand the needs of both learners and teachers for the continued development of collaborative tools which specifically facilitate language learning processes.