This Is How We Write: University Student Voices on Their Collaborative Writing Approaches

This study examines the collaborative writing strategies and work modes employed by university students during collaborative writing tasks.32 first-year master's students in educational sciences completed a nine-week collaborative research paper in dyads without specific writing or collaboration guidance.Data were collected through shared Google Docs, logbooks, and semi-structured interviews.The findings indicate that students predominantly utilized horizontal-division writing involving the division of text sections to individual members, often initiated by group single-author writing (i.e., joint text planning).The asynchronous work mode was most frequently used, but students alternated these with face-toface interactions, particularly near deadlines.These findings suggest that students balance independent and collaborative work, raising implications for designing interventions and exploring how collaboration impacts learning outcomes and text quality.