Use of Wikis in Second/Foreign Language Classes: A Literature Review

Abstract

Wikis, as emerging Web 2.0 tools, have been increasingly implemented in language classrooms. To explore the current state of research and inform future studies, this article reviews the past research on the use of wikis in second/foreign language classes. Using Google Scholar and the ERIC database, the researcher examines twenty-one empirical studies published in fourteen peer-reviewed journals from 2008 to 2011. Specifically, the researcher takes a holistic review of this body of literature, including theoretical frameworks, research goals, contexts and participants, tasks and wiki applications, and research methods and instruments. The researcher identifies four main research themes investigated in the current body of literature: collaborative writing process, writing product, perceptions of wiki-based collaborative writing, and effects of tasks. Each of the four themes is sub-categorized into different research strands, and the synthesized findings regarding these strands are further discussed. In addition, the researcher indicates pedagogical implications, identifies the research gaps, and addresses potential research directions for wiki use in second/foreign language classes.