The Integration of Google Docs in Enhancing Students’ English Writing Performance (Discussion)

III. Discussion

Google Docs' inclusion in English writing courses has shown rather good results on student writing quality across a range of research scenarios. EFL students who participated in collaborative writing activities with Google Docs showed significant gains in writing quality over their peers employing conventional methods, according to (Alsubaie & Ashuraidah, 2017). With effect sizes indicating significant practical relevance, their research showed notable improvements in content creation, arrangement, and language usage. These results agree with those found by (Afdaliah & Marliana, 2019) who noted that university students engaged in out-of-class group writing exercises through the portal showed better writing ability.   The cooperative aspects of Google Docs seem to promote peer learning activities that straight help to improve writing ability. (Suwantarathip & Wichadee, n.d.) showed that students getting comments via Google Docs' commenting system showed more improvement in writing quality than those getting conventional written feedback. The contextualized character of digital comments, which enabled more precise and immediate feedback on specific aspects of student writing, helped the researchers to explain this increase. This result implies that the interactive capabilities of the platform open up chances for significant peer communication that would be challenging to duplicate in conventional classroom contexts.   Another major area where Google Docs deployment reveals good results is motivational advantages. (Bui, 2023) noted that students involved in writing assignments based on Google Docs showed more interest in and engagement with writing tasks. Their qualitative study showed that students especially appreciated the chance to observe their classmates' writing processes in real-time and to get prompt feedback on their work. Collaborative writing via Google Docs seemed to lessen the solitude sometimes felt with conventional writing assignments, therefore producing a more friendly and participatory learning atmosphere. Google Docs' real-time cooperative features have changed revision techniques in ways that help student learning.Using Google Docs, university students engaged in more frequent and thorough revisions than they did with conventional writing techniques, according to (Fan, 2017a) The openness of the platform's editing process let students observe several techniques of organizing ideas, crafting arguments, and improving vocabulary use. Direct lessons were supplemented by observational learning that offered models of good writing techniques students could use for their own use. Studies have also showed how well the platform helps writing abilities and digital literacy. (Jeong, 2016) found that teachers using Google Docs in their writing lessons saw students organically acquire collaborative digital communication abilities beyond the immediate classroom environment. These abilities helped students with their wider scholastic activities and fit the objectives for 21st-century skill growth stressed in current education policy. In a variety of research situations, implementation obstacles have, however, frequently come forth. (Andrade & Roshay, n.d.) found several impediments to effective collaborative writing adoption, including student opposition to sharing work in progress, questions about unequal participation, and difficulties managing group dynamics in online settings. To surmount these obstacles, their research underlined the need of explicit instruction in group approaches as well as precise expectations for peer interaction. Particularly in resource-poor educational situations, technical infrastructure constraints constantly hamper successful Google Docs implementation. (Ebrahimi, 2024) recorded how erratic internet access and restricted device availability prevented Indonesian secondary school students from fully engaging in cooperative writing exercises. These infrastructural obstacles can aggravate already present educational inequities and restrict the platform's possible advantages for students most in need of more help. For teachers, the change from independent to cooperative writing assessment offers both possibilities and obstacles. (Alsubaie & Ashuraidah, 2017) discovered that conventional assessment tools often failed to detect the learning that resulted from cooperative writing operations. Students acquired negotiation skills, peer feedback competence, and revising techniques not sufficiently captured by individual writing evaluations. This result implies that teachers must create more all-encompassing assessment strategies considering both group projects and individual learning results. The requirements for professional development for effective execution cannot be ignored. Many teachers, (Laire et al., 2015) noted, lack the pedagogical expertise needed to create successful digital platform-based collaborative writing projects. Their results showed that teachers needed assistance in grasping cooperative learning theories, creating suitable tasks, and controlling online group dynamics in addition to technical training. This result emphasizes the need of thorough professional development courses tackling both the pedagogical and technical components of Google Docs deployment.   Google Docs' efficacy seems to rely rather much on task design and execution techniques. (Jeong, 2016) showed better learning results from well-planned group writing activities than from tasks just shifting traditional individual assignments to a shared digital venue. Effective collaborative writing projects often included difficult issues solved from several points of view, genuine communicative objectives, and adequate time for important revision cycles. Still under research are the long-term impacts of cooperative writing experience via Google Docs. Although short-term research regularly produces good results, doubts linger over whether students keep enthusiasm for writing following collaborative experiences end and whether cooperative writing skills transfer to individual writing scenarios. Most studies on collaborative writing, (Rifai et al., n.d.) observed, concentrate on short-term results, thus unanswered critical concerns about ongoing effects. The comment and proposal functions of the platform have been especially helpful for enabling peer feedback sessions. (Fan, 2017) observed that using Google Docs' commenting tools resulted in more thorough and insightful comments compared to conventional peer review methods. More targeted revision efforts and better learning outcomes resulted from the capacity to add comments to certain text segments, which made more focused conversations on certain writing problems possible.   Even with shown advantages, Google Docs implementation demands close consideration of equity issues. Students with little prior experience with digital collaboration tools may need extra help to actively participate in group writing projects. (Zhou et al., 2012) underlined that successful implementation must accommodate many students needs and backgrounds to guarantee that technological integration improves instead of impedes learning chances for all students. Many research contexts suggest that, if used thoughtfully and regularly, Google Docs can be a great tool for improving instruction in English writing. Through peer contact, genuine audience participation, and ongoing editing support, the platform's cooperative tools address several drawbacks of conventional writing education. But successful execution demands awareness of professional development needs, infrastructural concerns, and deliberate task design to maximize educational advantages while tackling any problems. Going forward, teachers weighing Google Docs adoption should concentrate on phased introduction, thorough training for both teachers and students, and assessment techniques that catch the whole range of learning taking place via collaborative writing activities. Although more research on long-term effects and best implementation approaches would further support effective practice, the research data offers a robust base for educated adoption decisions.