The Impact of Dropbox Paper as an Online Collaborative Tool on the Academic Writing Skills of Iranian EFL Learners
Technology integration into language learning has appeared as a prominent research focus in the past few years. The present study aimed to investigate the comparative effects of using Dropbox Paper as an online collaborative tool versus traditional non-collaborative writing instruction on the ac...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin,
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Modern Research in English Language Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://jmrels.journals.ikiu.ac.ir/article_3625_63422cf3c4f9d3659653cc5a775fb0c5.pdf |
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| author | Shima Taheri Hooshang Khoshsima Ali Beikian Amir Mohammadian |
| author_facet | Shima Taheri Hooshang Khoshsima Ali Beikian Amir Mohammadian |
| author_sort | Shima Taheri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Technology integration into language learning has appeared as a
prominent research focus in the past few years. The present study aimed
to investigate the comparative effects of using Dropbox Paper as an online
collaborative tool versus traditional non-collaborative writing instruction
on the academic writing skills of Iranian EFL learners across varying
proficiency levels. The research utilized a quasi-experimental research
design, focusing on the collection and analysis of quantitative data. A
total of 90 Iranian EFL learners were selected through convenience
sampling and randomly assigned to either the experimental group, which
utilized Dropbox Paper for collaborative academic writing, or the control
group, which engaged in non-collaborative writing methods. Each group
contained 45 learners with three different proficiency groups, i.e., high,
mid, and low. The instructional phase included a pretest, followed by
targeted instruction on academic essay writing for two months for both
groups. Collaborative practices using Dropbox Paper as an online
collaborative tool to write comments and notes and to receive teacher and
peer feedback on their writings were considered for the experimental
group and only direct teacher feedback for the control group, culminating
in a posttest to evaluate the outcomes. The findings highlighted the need
to align technology-enhanced writing instruction with learners’
proficiency levels. Collaborative tools like Dropbox Paper are more
effective for mid and high-proficiency learners, emphasizing the
importance of scaffolding for lower-proficiency learners to ensure
equitable benefits. These insights provide practical guidance for
integrating collaborative tools into EFL classrooms to optimize writing
instruction. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3e75200f04cc40cb82df417a907b2a01 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2676-5985 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Modern Research in English Language Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-3e75200f04cc40cb82df417a907b2a012025-08-20T02:08:58ZengImam Khomeini International University, Qazvin,Journal of Modern Research in English Language Studies2676-59852025-06-01123101127https://doi.org/10.30479/jmrels.2024.21117.2441The Impact of Dropbox Paper as an Online Collaborative Tool on the Academic Writing Skills of Iranian EFL LearnersShima Taheri0Hooshang Khoshsima1Ali Beikian2Amir Mohammadian3English Language Department, Chabahar Maritime UniversityEnglish Language Department, Chabahar Maritime UniversityEnglish Language Department, Chabahar Maritime UniversityEnglish Language Department, Chabahar Maritime UniversityTechnology integration into language learning has appeared as a prominent research focus in the past few years. The present study aimed to investigate the comparative effects of using Dropbox Paper as an online collaborative tool versus traditional non-collaborative writing instruction on the academic writing skills of Iranian EFL learners across varying proficiency levels. The research utilized a quasi-experimental research design, focusing on the collection and analysis of quantitative data. A total of 90 Iranian EFL learners were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to either the experimental group, which utilized Dropbox Paper for collaborative academic writing, or the control group, which engaged in non-collaborative writing methods. Each group contained 45 learners with three different proficiency groups, i.e., high, mid, and low. The instructional phase included a pretest, followed by targeted instruction on academic essay writing for two months for both groups. Collaborative practices using Dropbox Paper as an online collaborative tool to write comments and notes and to receive teacher and peer feedback on their writings were considered for the experimental group and only direct teacher feedback for the control group, culminating in a posttest to evaluate the outcomes. The findings highlighted the need to align technology-enhanced writing instruction with learners’ proficiency levels. Collaborative tools like Dropbox Paper are more effective for mid and high-proficiency learners, emphasizing the importance of scaffolding for lower-proficiency learners to ensure equitable benefits. These insights provide practical guidance for integrating collaborative tools into EFL classrooms to optimize writing instruction.https://jmrels.journals.ikiu.ac.ir/article_3625_63422cf3c4f9d3659653cc5a775fb0c5.pdfacademic writingdropbox paperonline collaborationproficiency |
| spellingShingle | Shima Taheri Hooshang Khoshsima Ali Beikian Amir Mohammadian The Impact of Dropbox Paper as an Online Collaborative Tool on the Academic Writing Skills of Iranian EFL Learners Journal of Modern Research in English Language Studies academic writing dropbox paper online collaboration proficiency |
| title | The Impact of Dropbox Paper as an Online Collaborative Tool on the Academic Writing Skills of Iranian EFL Learners |
| title_full | The Impact of Dropbox Paper as an Online Collaborative Tool on the Academic Writing Skills of Iranian EFL Learners |
| title_fullStr | The Impact of Dropbox Paper as an Online Collaborative Tool on the Academic Writing Skills of Iranian EFL Learners |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Impact of Dropbox Paper as an Online Collaborative Tool on the Academic Writing Skills of Iranian EFL Learners |
| title_short | The Impact of Dropbox Paper as an Online Collaborative Tool on the Academic Writing Skills of Iranian EFL Learners |
| title_sort | impact of dropbox paper as an online collaborative tool on the academic writing skills of iranian efl learners |
| topic | academic writing dropbox paper online collaboration proficiency |
| url | https://jmrels.journals.ikiu.ac.ir/article_3625_63422cf3c4f9d3659653cc5a775fb0c5.pdf |
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