Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of the "writing conference" on the writing process and quality of university students' academic papers. The subjects, university students in "writing conference", were observed for 90 minutes each week for a period of eight weeks. The collected data include audio and video tapes of conference discussions, audio and video tapes of group activities, interviews with teachers and selected students, all drafts and final versions of selected students' essays, and term papers. The quantitative data obtained were analyzed by two-way ANOVA. The results showed that students from the "teacher-student group" and the "peer group," at all levels of writing skill, performed better than the control group in the writing of academic papers. It was also found that students in the "peer group" spent much more time in the writing process than students in the "teacher-student group" and control groups. The students in the "peer group" sometimes chatted more informally, while those in the "teacher-student group" always had serious discussions.