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Promoting EFL Students’ Reflectivity in Writing Through Peer-Scaffolding Digital Writing

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Abstract

The present study pursued a dual objective. First, to assess the impact of online scaffolding in writing on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ reflectivity in writing, and second, to explore the perceptions of participants in the experimental group regarding the use of Google Docs for scaffolding digital writing. The study involved 78 Iranian EFL university students majoring in English literature, and it employed a quantitative research design. Data were collected using two scales, namely, the Reflection on Writing Questionnaire (RWQ) and EFL students’ attitudes toward scaffolding digital writing through Google Docs. The essays produced by the learners were also evaluated to consolidate the findings of the survey. The results demonstrated a significant enhancement in EFL writing reflectivity among participants. Furthermore, the instructional intervention positively influenced the experimental group’s perceptions. This study sheds light on the potential benefits of integrating peer-scaffolding writing instruction within an online platform, specifically Google Docs, to promote reflectivity in a second language. The findings have implications for language educators when designing interactive writing tasks and incorporating online platforms for teaching writing.

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Data will be made available on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the editor and reviewers.

Funding

The authors received no funding for this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of ELT, Kermanshah Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran

    Majid Farahian, Yusef Rajabi & Hamid Gholami

Contributions

The first author collected the data and wrote the paper. The second author edited the paper. The third author conducted the data analysis.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Majid Farahian.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Additional information

Appendices

Appendix A

More Snapshots of Collaborative Writing Using Google Docs.

figure a
figure b
figure c

Appendix B

Samples of Experimental and Control Groups’ participants’ Literary Analyses.

figure d
figure e

Appendix C

EFL Students’ Attitudes toward Learning Literature through Google Docs.

figure f

Appendix D

Reflection on Writing Questionnaire (RWQ).

Category Item Not at all To a small extent To some extent To a moderate extent To a great extent
Habitual Action/

Descriptive

 1 When I write in English, I do it without thinking

2 When writing it is likely that I use a lot of fixed set of sentences borrowed from somebody or somewhere

3 I probably write an essay without getting deeply involved with the meaning

4 I often start writing without planning for it
Understanding 1 My writing is often limited to state what / when/where something happened

2 I write my ideas without questioning them or considering them in depth

3 My writing is often limited to conveying meaning to readers

4 I know how to begin, how to write, and how to revise
Reflection 1 While writing I often reflect on the steps I take

2 I can explain the meaning/significance/value of things

3 While writing, I may get help from others

4 I can relate the topic to my personal experiences

5 I sometimes think about revising the text I have written
Critical reflection 1 As a result of the course, I can think about my strengths and weaknesses in writing

2 I can write for and against certain positions and ideas

3 I set a new goal at every stage of writing

4 I provide reasons and justifications for events

5 I often think about how I should improve my writing the next time I write

6 I state my preferences and provide a rationale for them

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Cite this article

Farahian, M., Rajabi, Y. & Gholami, H. Promoting EFL Students’ Reflectivity in Writing Through Peer-Scaffolding Digital Writing. Psychol Stud (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-025-00835-4

  • Received
  • Accepted
  • Published
  • DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-025-00835-4

Keywords

  • Peer scaffolding
  • Digital writing
  • Writing reflectivity
  • Google docs
  • EFL writing

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