Afief Fakhruddin, Puji Astuti, Sri Wahyuni, Katharina Rustipa
This study investigates the impact of collaborative writing and peer feedback on creative writing proficiency and writer identity among English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in face-to-face and online contexts. Addressing a gap in the literature, this study compares the effectiveness of these two instructional environments in fostering substantive skill development and identity transformation. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed with 25 fourth-semester EFL students at a Private University in West Java, Indonesia, randomly assigned to offline ( n = 12 ) and online ( n = 13 ) groups. Data were collected through pre- and post-writing assessments, a validated questionnaire on writer identity, and systematic classroom observations. Quantitative results were analyzed via paired-sample t-tests, while qualitative data were examined through thematic analysis. Both groups demonstrated statistically significant gains in post-test scores ( p < 0.05 ), indicating enhanced creative-writing competence. Moreover, 84 of participants achieved an "excellent" level of writer identity, evidencing a shift from passive to confident self-concept. The collaborative writing process also mitigated writing anxiety, as reported in the qualitative data. The findings affirm that integrating peer feedback and collaborative writing effectively improves creative-writing skills and cultivates a positive writer identity, irrespective of instructional modality. These outcomes corroborate sociocultural theories that emphasize social interaction as a pivotal mediator of learning, underscoring its central role in contemporary writing pedagogy. The study confirms that the mode through which collaborative writing is implemented does not limit the collaborative writing experience itself. Both offline and online contexts offer meaningful opportunities to create supportive and inclusive learning environments that empower students to express themselves creatively and strengthen their confidence in their own abilities. Copyright (c) 2026 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Department of English Language Education, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia; Departmet of English Language and Literature, Universitas Stikubank Semarang, Indonesia
