DEMATEL Method: The Causal Relationships Among Factors Influencing ESL Students’ Collaborative Writing Effectiveness

Abstract

This study investigates the causal relationships among factors influencing ESL students’ collaborative writing effectiveness by using the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method. Collaborative writing has been widely acknowledged as a successful pedagogical approach in language classrooms but its effectiveness is depending on various interrelated factors such as proficiency level, group size, guidance, digital literacy, and fear of making mistakes. This study employed a quantitative research method involving expert evaluation in constructing a direct-relation matrix, which was subsequently normalized and analyzed to determine cause–effect relationships among the identified factors. The findings reveal that guidance is the most significant causal factor, making it the strongest influence on other factors. Whereas, fear of making mistakes is found to be the most prominent yet highly influenced factor. Digital literacy and proficiency level are classified as effect factors while group size demonstrates a relatively lower influence within the system. Moreover, this study highlights the crucial role instructional support in effectiveness of collaborative writing and consequently provides insights for educators in planning ESL writing environments. Through DEMATEL analysis, these findings contribute to expanding corpus of research on collaborative writing by offering a systematic understanding of factors interdependencies.