Exploring collaboratively written L2 texts among first-year learners of German in Google Docs

Grounded in research on collaborative writing and computer-mediated writing the present study examines the computer-mediated collaborative writing process among first-year learners of German as a second language (L2) at a US university. The data come from 28 first-year learners of German at a US university, who wrote hypothesized endings to a German feature-film in small groups in Google Docs. The results suggest an expansion of previous models of collaborative writing – based on participatory patterns along the axes of equality and mutuality – to reflect the nature of computer-supported collaboration. The results also confirm previous findings that during computer-supported collaborative writing, learners tend to prioritize meaning over form, however, in this project, participants were able to attend to both, in spite of their level of proficiency. Implications for further research and L2 pedagogy are explored after the discussion of the data.