Collaborative Writing and Learning of Reported Speech During Mixed‐Age Peer Interactions in English as a Foreign Language Classroom

ABSTRACT Peer collaboration is an essential part of learning in mixed‐age (M‐A) classrooms, and the same applies to writing and learning grammar in the secondary school curriculum. Although a growing body of research has shown language learning benefits of collaborative writing (CW), only very few have been conducted with secondary school students. Studies into the role and impact of age grouping in foreign language (FL) learning are scarce. To fill these gaps, this study explored to what extent and how collaborative writing aids individual students’ learning of reported speech as assessed by a practice test one week later. The participants were 12‐ to 15‐year‐old students ( N = 28) of English as a foreign language (EFL). The analysis of audio recordings of students’ interactions and their written use of reported speech (RS) has shown that the learning benefits gained for the younger and the older learners remain limited. The pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed.