This article presents a constructivist writing placement framework, developed from the study of two pilot iterations of a local writing placement mechanism at a large public research university. Through preliminary analysis of data from these pilots, we present a model of constructivist writing placement and demonstrate how it helps move…

Adopting a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach, this study explored the impact of electronic writing portfolio on writing performance in English as a foreign language (EFL) context. Two intact classes were first selected and randomly assigned to an electronic writing portfolio group (22 EFL students) and a conventional (i.e. paper-based)…

The advent of the social web brought with it challenges and opportunities for research on learning and knowledge construction. Using the online-encyclopedia Wikipedia as an example, we discuss several methods that can be applied to analyze the dynamic nature of knowledge-related processes in mass collaboration environments. These methods can help…

Constructionism holds potential for educational research. The qualitative research study presented here investigated learning experiences in a collaborative authorship project designed according to the principles of constructionism. We found a set of three characteristics at the core of constructionist learning: learner agency, focused tinkering,…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate and compare the effects of group-to-whole student-led oral discussion and small-group collaborative drafting as pre-writing tasks on Iranian intermediate English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' writing performance. Additionally, the difference between the writing components was examined.…

In group writing, a group works together to compose a well-written text. Web 2.0 has bolstered web-based group writing among linguistic scholars and language teachers. This research examined the impact of web-based group writing on intermediate-level sophomore students majoring in English in colleges in Saudi Arabia. It considered the students'…

This study set to investigate the critical importance of integrating Student Team Achievement Division (STAD) and "WebQuest," STADIBTM for short, on developing the advanced-level argumentative writing skills of L2 English university students. The study employed a pre-posttest comparison of the experimental group (N=54) versus the control…

The present quasi-experimental study aimed at investigating the impact of trained and untrained peer feedback on students' written comment types and writing quality. Significant differences were found in terms of comment types provided: trained students provided a significantly higher number of comments focused on organization and content (global…