Author(s): Kholoud A. Alwehebi
The current compulsions in the academic dispensations all over the world have introduced monumental changes in the way teachers teach, and learners learn. This study examines one important aspect of this change: the use of mobile technology in enhancing the Saudi university-level EFL learners' skill in producing cohesive free writing pieces. The focus on cohesion in writing is a key area in EFL education that needs attention as it is seen as a casualty in these learners' writing samples where they are required to write beyond a few sentences. The study uses a specially created WhatsApp group to encourage supportive peer feedback as a tool in collaborative learning. The study was conducted with 117 first-year female students enrolled in both the Preparatory Year Program (PYP) and the English Department of Imam Abdul Rahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. Using active messaging and voice messaging on WhatsApp, the participants were encouraged to help improve cohesion and find suitable topical sentences for the paragraphs in their peers' writing across a period of eight weeks, during which four exercises in 750 words each were undertaken. The writing genre used were the factual description of a person, description of a real event, description of an imaginary event, and an essay on participants' experiences during the intervention. A progress rubric was maintained by the researcher to chart the development of the participants’ cohesive writing skills across the eight-week-long study. An evaluative writing test was conducted at the end of the eight weeks, and results were compared with the average scores of the previous two writing tests conducted by the university. Descriptive statistics were used to conclude that participants' cohesive writing showed remarkable improvement post-intervention, while the last essay on their personal experience showed that collaborative work in the form of peer input is a strong, highly recommended aid in improving learners’ writing skills.