As digital technologies become increasingly integrated into modern life, understanding how students participate in digitally mediated writing is critical. This study examined how two groups of elementary students engaged in digitally mediated collaborative writing (CW) in an online classroom. One group used a single scribe, encouraging collective negotiation of a single idea, while the other used multiple scribes to develop ideas in parallel. Across both groups, students relied on offering, elaboration, agreement, and disagreement to move ideas forward. Students valued peers who were helpful, kind, and focused, and who contributed to the shared text. These findings highlight how participation structures influence CW processes and suggest ways digital CW can support flexible participation. Implications for designing inclusive, digitally mediated writing instruction in elementary classrooms are discussed.
Amanda Yoshiko Shimizu (Sun,) studied this question.