Writing is a complex process that requires pre-writing activities such as brainstorming, word mapping, outlining, drafting , editing and revising. The process is facilitated by group collaboration in the different writing stages. Wikis, as one of the Web 2.0 social networking tools, are web sites, the content of which can be edited by visitors to the site, allowing users to easily create and edit pages collaboratively. This study aims at investigating the effect of using wikis and face –to- face collaborative writing on the writing performance and self- regulated learning skills among EFL college students. The study comprises 66 female participants enrolled in Writing 4, an advanced writing course, at Level 4 in the College of Education at Dhahran Al-Janoub, King Khaled University, Saudi Arabia. The experimental group (n=34) used wikis for collaborative essay writing while the control group (n=32) used face-to-face collaboration. Results of the study revealed that students using wikis as collaborative writing tools outperformed those using face-to-face collaborative writing in essay writing performance. Besides, they outperformed them in self-regulated learning skills. The study gives implications on the potentials that wikis hold for the teaching of EFL and the area of writing skill.
Key words: wikis – the writing performance – attitude towards teaching – attitude towards e-learning - the teaching performance