Socio-cognitive Dynamics of English as Foreign Language (EFL) Learners’ Interaction in Pre-Writing Stage via a Facebook Group

Abstract: This qualitative case study aimed to identify the socio-cognitive dynamics of interaction in prewriting stage via a facebook group. The participants are three English as Foreign language (EFL) university learners. A qualitative analysis of the learners’ interactions, observation notes of their discussions and their reflective responses to online written interview questions was used in this study. Based on the findings, it was found that this pre-writing stage was operated by the learners in four linear cognitive procedural phases: selecting the topic of their essay, producing ideas, reflecting on the ideas produced and making an outline of the essay. The learners were also involved at two types of cognitive dynamics: interpretative or exploratory strategies showing their exploration of the task and procedural or operational strategies showing their pursuit of the task. The findings indicated that the learners’ social modes of participation were more collaborative than being individualistic, which indicates the potential of facebook groups as interactive learning environments conducive to better learning especially in pre-writing