EXPLORING THE WIKI-MEDIATED LEARNING PROCESS: COLLABORATION IN A SECOND LANGUAGE WRITING CLASS

Assuming a sociocultural theoretical view on learning, this paper examines what aspects of wiki task design promote collaboration and subsequent knowledge development. The study took place in a semester-long Spanish as a second language writing course at a large university in the US. In triads, participants composed wiki-based texts that were later analyzed with a microgenetic methodology - the study of the origin and development of a learning event. These data were combined with qualitative data from interviews and recall protocols. The analysis revealed that wiki-based collaboration befits more those individuals who have developed self-regulatory learning skills. It also showed that social factors beyond the instructional design (prior computing experience, traditional notions of individual agency and accountability for school work, perceived own and partners' linguistic ability) may also shape the learning process. The pedagogical implications for the integration of wikis in second language teaching and learning are discussed.