WIKIS IN L2 WRITING INSTRUCTION: A SYSTEMATIC SCOPING REVIEW OF EMPIRICAL RESEARCH

چکیده

This article presents a systematic scoping review of the literature on the use of wikis in second language (L2) writing instruction. Through searches of scientific databases for empirical studies that had been published in peer-reviewed venues on the use of wikis and L2 writing, 17 studies were selected for review. These studies mainly investigated aspects of learners, the writing process, and the outcomes of using wikis in L2 writing classrooms. The studies indicated generally positive results regarding the attitudes of learners towards wikis, the interaction among learners, and the quality of the writing projects completed using wikis. However, few studies have found benefits to the linguistic aspects of writing by L2 learners who used wikis to write their projects. Additionally, most studies that used wikis to aid in the writing of L2 texts found challenges in the development of equitable participation of each learner in the writing project, challenges in assessing the learners’ writing within the wikis, and general challenges in comparing the methodologies of the different studies. The implications of these findings for future research and writing classrooms are discussed.