Collaborative writing: A study on the effects of co-authoring on writing quality in freshman research writing

The individualism and collectivism cultural constructs are used as the theoretical framework for a study on collaborative learning as an effective technology in the teaching of writing. The study uses research writing classes at two universities in the Middle East to determine if there is a difference between individualist and collectivist teaching techniques and the understanding and retaining of writing skills in collectivist cultures. The study is created to see if a curriculum from an individualist society can use collectivist teaching techniques as a more effective way for students in a collectivist society to learn the necessary English skills.