From process to product: writing engagement and performance of EFL learners under computer-generated feedback instruction

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is gradually penetrating the domain of education, opening up many possibilities for teaching and learning. Many educators, faced with the burden of commenting on substantial student essays, have introduced automated writing evaluation (AWE) into second language (L2) writing considering its affordance of immediate scores and diagnostic information. However, students’ processing strategies and perceptions of such computer-generated feedback and its impact on student writing quality, particularly as mediated by language proficiency, remain under-explored. This study examines the impact of Pigai, a Chinese AWE system, on revision processes and writing products of 42 English as a foreign language (EFL) learners with varying language levels by analyzing feedback points, feedback uptake, text quality in complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF), and perceptions. The findings are as follows. When confronted with AWE instruction, the majority of student work focuses on correcting errors, but higher-level students exhibit an emphasis on language improvement beyond the surface level compared to lower-level students. According to CAF measures, automated feedback exerts greater effects on accuracy for unskilled learners and lexical complexity for skilled learners in the development of interlanguage. Learner profiles and perceptions of students at different levels are explored along four dimensions: writing quality, cognitive engagement, behavioral engagement, and affective engagement. Finally, the potential issues of such technology-based writing instruction are pointed out.