Roles for collaborative writing : the effect on text quality and group atmosphere

As collaborative academic writing has a prominent place at university, students need to learn how to write academically and at the same time how to maintain a positive group atmosphere in which information can be exchanged and students feel well. One way to support this, is providing roles. In the current study, 41 groups of three university students wrote a literature overview. 21 groups were asked to distribute roles aimed at improving text quality, smooth collaboration and fostering a positive group atmosphere. In this paper, the results of using roles on collaboratively written text quality and group atmosphere are discussed. The results show a positive effect of roles on text quality, but no effects on group atmosphere.As collaborative academic writing has a prominent place at university, students need to learn how to write academically and at the same time how to maintain a positive group atmosphere in which information can be exchanged and students feel well. One way to support this, is providing roles. In the current study, 41 groups of three university students wrote a literature overview. 21 groups were asked to distribute roles aimed at improving text quality, smooth collaboration and fostering a positive group atmosphere. In this paper, the results of using roles on collaboratively written text quality and group atmosphere are discussed. The results show a positive effect of roles on text quality, but no effects on group atmosphere.C