Shafa Salsabila Sembiring, Yuliati, Zulfa Sakhiyya

Exploring the Use of Google Docs for Collaborative Narrative Writing: A Sequential Exploratory Study in EFL Classroom

Introduction

Exploring the use of google docs for collaborative narrative writing: a sequential exploratory study in efl classroom. Explore how Google Docs enhances collaborative narrative writing for EFL students, fostering 21st-century skills (communication, critical thinking, creativity) in higher education.

Abstract

Abstract. Among the recent technological tools often used in teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL), Google Docs is mostly used. This online media facilitates students' collaborative writing activities, making Google Docs frequently applied in writing classes to construct narrative text. Therefore, this study explores the influence of Google Docs as a medium for collaborative writing among EFL students in higher education, specifically on how it fosters sstudents' collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity as part of 21st-century skills. Through a mixed-method study, the research examines how students perceive Google Docs as it is employed to support collaborative writing. Data were collected from 50 English literature students from a private university in Indonesia. They were asked to describe their experiences in learning diaries throughout the teaching-learning session before being interviewed and asked to answer a questionnaire at the end of the course. The findings indicated that Google Docs provided students with meaningful learning experiences. It facilitates real-time collaboration and enhances peer feedback, which makes the activities beneficial in developing students' collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity as part of 21st-century skills. Therefore, the study emphasizes the need for structured guidance to maximize ICT tools' usefulness for education.

Review

This paper investigates the application of Google Docs as a tool for collaborative narrative writing within an EFL higher education context, specifically examining its role in fostering 21st-century skills among students. Employing a sequential exploratory mixed-method approach, the study explored student perceptions of Google Docs' impact on their collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity. The findings robustly indicate that Google Docs provides students with meaningful learning experiences, effectively facilitating real-time collaboration and enhancing peer feedback, which in turn supports the development of these essential skills. While offering valuable insights, the abstract points to several areas where further detail would enhance the study's robustness. The description of the mixed-method design, particularly how the qualitative (diaries, interviews) and quantitative (questionnaire) components were integrated in a "sequential exploratory" manner, needs clarification, as the abstract's description suggests a more concurrent approach. Furthermore, while the study explores student perceptions of how Google Docs "fosters" 21st-century skills, the abstract does not elaborate on how the "influence" on these skills was specifically measured beyond self-reported experiences. A clearer operationalization of how collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity were assessed would strengthen the claims. The reliance on 50 students from a single private university also suggests that the generalizability of these findings might be limited. Despite these points, the study makes a timely and relevant contribution to the growing body of literature on technology integration in language education. It effectively underscores the potential of Google Docs as a beneficial tool for enhancing collaborative writing and cultivating crucial 21st-century skills in EFL settings. The emphasis on the need for structured guidance to maximize the utility of ICT tools for education is a pertinent takeaway for practitioners. Future research could build upon this foundation by employing more diverse samples, developing more direct and robust measures of skill development, and thoroughly investigating the impact of various structured guidance frameworks to further solidify the observed benefits.

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