The Effect of Task Complexity on Second Language Writing Performance Between Computer‐Assisted Individual and Collaborative Writing

ABSTRACT

This study explored the extent to which the effect of task complexity on writing performance would differ between computer‐assisted individual versus collaborative writing. Participants were 112 Chinese users of English as a second language. They completed two reading‐to‐write tasks of varying cognitive complexity either individually ( n = 56) or collaboratively ( n = 56). Task complexity was manipulated as the presence or absence of a text structure for summary writing. The resulting texts were analyzed for linguistic complexity, accuracy, and text quality. It was found that the effects of task complexity on the use of academic words and phrasal structures, as well as the analytic rating of organization, differed between individual and collaborative writing. In individual writing, no significant differences were observed in these measures between the simple and complex tasks. In contrast, higher levels of performance were observed in the simple task in collaborative writing. These findings suggest that collaborative writing may play a more beneficial role than individual writing in text production.