Effectiveness of AI Editing Software for Corrective Feedback in L2 Writing

This study examined whether AI-based editing software can contribute to the improvement of L2 learners’ writing quality measured by four indicators: syntactic complexity, lexical variety, lexical richness, and readability. A total of 65 college students at a low-intermediate level of fluency participated in this study. One class, consisting of 30 students, was randomly designated as the control group, and another class with 35 students as the experimental group. Free versions of Grammarly, an AI-based written corrective feedback provider, and Quillbot, an AI-based paraphrasing suggestion provider, were used as a treatment for the experimental group. The analysis revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group in terms of syntactic complexity, lexical variety, and readability. However, little difference has been detected between the groups in terms of lexical richness. This result suggests potential pedagogical capabilities AI-based editing software can offer L2 writers and teachers.