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Online Writing Behaviors, Writing Outcomes, and Task Complexity in Computer-Assisted Collaborative Writing

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Title: Online Writing Behaviors, Writing Outcomes, and Task Complexity in Computer-Assisted Collaborative Writing
Language: English
Authors: Xin Rong (ORCID 0009-0005-1922-771X)
Source: Modern Language Journal. 2026 110(3):812-826.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 15
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Collaborative Writing, Difficulty Level, Technology Uses in Education, Computer Mediated Communication, Student Behavior, College Students, Foreign Countries, English (Second Language), Writing Skills
Geographic Terms: China
DOI: 10.1111/modl.70068
ISSN: 0026-7902
1540-4781
Abstract: This study examined how online writing behaviors aggregated at the pair level were related to writing outcomes in computer-assisted collaborative writing and how task complexity moderated these relationships. The participants were 56 Chinese university students with advanced English proficiency. They were randomly organized into 28 pairs. Each pair performed two versions of a reading-to-write task in a face-to-face collaborative writing setting using Google Docs. Task complexity was manipulated as whether there was a clear text structure to follow when writing a summary. The simple task version involved summarizing a complete text, whereas the complex task version required summarizing information from three separate texts. Each participant's online writing behaviors recorded by the keystroke logging software were coded for speed fluency, pause length and frequency, and revision frequency. Individual data were then aggregated as pairs' writing behaviors. Pairs' writing products were assessed for linguistic quality and text quality. Linear mixed-effects regression analyses identified that, longer P-bursts, shorter pauses between sentences, and more frequent pre-contextual revisions were associated with improved text features in some respects. Task complexity played a small but non-negligible role in the relationship between between-sub-sentence pause frequency and contextual revision frequency, and certain text characteristics. These results highlighted the diverse nature of the relationship between pairs' online writing behaviors and writing products in collaborative writing of tasks with varying complexity.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 20260101
Accession Number: EJ1514698
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Online Writing Behaviors, Writing Outcomes, and Task Complexity in Computer-Assisted Collaborative Writing
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Xin+Rong%22">Xin Rong</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1922-771X">0009-0005-1922-771X</externalLink>)
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Collaborative+Writing%22">Collaborative Writing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Difficulty+Level%22">Difficulty Level</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Technology+Uses+in+Education%22">Technology Uses in Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Computer+Mediated+Communication%22">Computer Mediated Communication</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Behavior%22">Student Behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Students%22">College Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22English+%28Second+Language%29%22">English (Second Language)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Writing+Skills%22">Writing Skills</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1111/modl.70068
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  Data: This study examined how online writing behaviors aggregated at the pair level were related to writing outcomes in computer-assisted collaborative writing and how task complexity moderated these relationships. The participants were 56 Chinese university students with advanced English proficiency. They were randomly organized into 28 pairs. Each pair performed two versions of a reading-to-write task in a face-to-face collaborative writing setting using Google Docs. Task complexity was manipulated as whether there was a clear text structure to follow when writing a summary. The simple task version involved summarizing a complete text, whereas the complex task version required summarizing information from three separate texts. Each participant's online writing behaviors recorded by the keystroke logging software were coded for speed fluency, pause length and frequency, and revision frequency. Individual data were then aggregated as pairs' writing behaviors. Pairs' writing products were assessed for linguistic quality and text quality. Linear mixed-effects regression analyses identified that, longer P-bursts, shorter pauses between sentences, and more frequent pre-contextual revisions were associated with improved text features in some respects. Task complexity played a small but non-negligible role in the relationship between between-sub-sentence pause frequency and contextual revision frequency, and certain text characteristics. These results highlighted the diverse nature of the relationship between pairs' online writing behaviors and writing products in collaborative writing of tasks with varying complexity.
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      – SubjectFull: Collaborative Writing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Difficulty Level
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      – SubjectFull: Technology Uses in Education
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      – SubjectFull: Computer Mediated Communication
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      – SubjectFull: Writing Skills
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      – SubjectFull: China
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      – TitleFull: Online Writing Behaviors, Writing Outcomes, and Task Complexity in Computer-Assisted Collaborative Writing
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