A case study of collaborative writing with the computer

This study addresses the need for research which examines collaborative writing using computers. Its purpose was to identify, through observation and description, distinctive features of collaborative composing with a computer. The study examines how three writers collaborated in writing using a personal computer. The group's writing sessions were recorded on audio tapes that were then transcribed for analysis. The analysis consisted of examining the data for patterns that might account for certain aspects of collaborative composition including how the group made decisions and negotiated their individual writing styles and strategies, and how the computer affected their writing processes. The analysis of the data identified variables specific to collaborative writing at the computer. The addition of these variables created new relationships among factors already found in individual composition. Further research is needed to determine more precisely how these factors interact. Suggestions for such research are included