Abstract
Teacher-led small-group writing conferences (TSWC) blend the benefits of one-to-one teacher-student writing conferences with advantages of peer response. Previous research has identified how TSWCs socialize student writers into discussions of academic writing, giving them an expert model (the teacher) and the opportunity to practice providing feedback to several peers. No research to date has considered how TSWCs work when the conferences are moved into an online environment. This study investigates students’ participation in online TSWC in three levels of English as a second language (ESL) writing courses at a U.S. university. We compare changes in students’ participation across the semester and across different course contexts. Analyzing recordings of Zoom conferences, students’ written texts and comments, and post-course interviews, we argue that the affordances of Google Docs and Zoom facilitated students’ contributions and engagement over time. We found that advanced preparation was essential for participation: students read their peers’ papers before the conference and used the Google Docs “Add Comment” tool to provide comments. Across all courses, those students who put more details in their comments had more to say during the conferences. They were able to refer to their comments in discussing each other’s writing. Across the semester, students contributed more to these comments and to the oral discussion. The Zoom platform allowed teachers and students to use screensharing to highlight specific sections of the papers under discussion and point out valuable comments. Students valued these features of the conferences, although some also wanted more teacher feedback.
Presenters
Betsy GillilandAssociate Professor, Second Language Studies, University of Hawaii Manoa, Hawaii, United States Mitsuko Suzuki
Student, PhD student, University of Hawaii, Manoa, United States Rickey Larkin
Student, PhD Student, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Hawaii, United States Victoria Lee
Student, MA student, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Hawaii, United States Michelle Kunkel
Student, PhD Student, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Hawaii, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2021 Special Focus - Transcending Social Distance: Emerging Practices in e-Learning
KEYWORDS
Second Language Writing, Academic Writing, Response to Writing
