Leveraging Technology in Education: A Microgenetic Analysis of Language-Related Episodes in EFL Learners’ Writing through Divergent Effects of Peer versus Teacher Assessment via Google Docs
- Department of Teaching English as a Foreign Language, ST.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Teaching English as a Foreign Language, NT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Received: 2025-01-31
Revised: 2025-02-24
Accepted: 2025-03-03
Published in Issue 2025-04-23
Copyright (c) 2025 Leila Mohammad Yousefi, Mojgan Rashtchi, Bahram Mowlaie (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Abstract
The emergence of “Web 2.0” tools, exemplified by platforms like “Google Docs,” has revolutionized the landscape of collaborative writing in second or foreign language learning environments. These technological advancements afford participation at an unprecedented level, encouraging learners to engage interactively with peers and educators. Thus, the present mixed-methods survey scrutinizes the efficiency of Google Docs space to accelerate cooperative writing within an assessment framework, particularly “peer and teacher assessments,” on the written competencies of “EFL” pupils. Seventy-four sophomores in three groups majoring in English participated in the study after taking the “Oxford Placement Test” “(OPT).” The students were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: peer assessment (n=25), teacher assessment (n=25), and conventional teaching method groups (n=24). The data analysis unfolds in two critical phases: the quantitative analysis, employing ANCOVA and the qualitative lens embarking on the superior performance of peer assessment groups to explore peer mediation that trace microgenetic developments in writing “content,” “organization,” and “language-related peer mediation” (LREs). The study’s results concertedly offer a perceptible comprehension of the intricate dynamics in the Google Docs-mediated assessment platform and can shed light on improving writing competencies.
Keywords
- Google Docs, Peer assessment, Teacher assessment, Collaborative writing instruction, Language-Related Episodes (LREs)
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