How we learn language collaboratively through technology: a systematic review
摘要
In this systematic review, we examine how technological tools have enhanced collaborative language learning over the past decade (2014–2024). Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we analyzed 52 empirical studies to identify technological tools, implementation approaches, and effectiveness patterns in technology-enhanced collaborative language learning (TECLL). Our analysis identified a variety of technologies, grouped into synchronous tools (social media, video conferencing tools, and gamified platforms) and asynchronous tools (cloud-based platforms and learning management systems). These technologies support distinct collaborative language-learning processes through different affordances. Synchronous tools facilitate the immediate negotiation of meaning and real-time interactions, particularly enhancing speaking, listening, and pragmatic competence. Asynchronous tools support extended reflection and recursive revision, and have been shown to have a significant impact on writing development and metalinguistic awareness. Effective implementations across technological categories share common characteristics, such as structured collaboration processes, authentic communicative purposes, and balanced teacher presence. This review contributes to the field in three key ways: (1) offering a research-based classification of technology tools for collaborative language learning, (2) summarizing implementation strategies that apply across technologies, and (3) highlighting effectiveness trends to support evidence-based teaching. These results offer teachers practical, evidence-based advice for choosing and using technology to improve collaborative language learning in connected educational settings.