The Use of Google Docs for Collaborative Writing among EFL Learners: A Literature Review

Abstrak

Writing is widely regarded as one of the most challenging language skills for EFL learners, and collaborative writing supported by digital tools such as Google Docs has been proposed as one way to address these difficulties. This literature review examines how Google Docs has been used to support collaborative writing among EFL learners and identifies the pedagogical benefits and limitations reported in previous research. A narrative literature review was conducted by searching Google Scholar between 2018 and 2019. Nine empirical studies and theses, published between 2014 and 2019, were identified that investigated the use of Google Docs for collaborative writing among secondary school and university EFL students. The reviewed studies consistently report that Google Docs improves students’ writing performance, increases learner engagement and motivation, strengthens peer-feedback practices, and supports the development of learner autonomy. Limitations such as internet dependency, a learning curve for new users, and a narrower feature set compared to conventional word processors are also noted. Google Docs can be an effective and accessible tool for collaborative writing instruction in EFL contexts when its limitations are properly anticipated; further comparative and longitudinal research is recommended to strengthen this evidence base.