Effect of Text Chat on EFL Writing Fluency, Accuracy, and Complexity by Interlocutors

This study reports the effects of text chat on EFL students’ writing fluency, accuracy, and complexity, investigating whether its effects differ according to the interlocutor. The experimental design employed three text chat groups: one between two nonnative speakers (NNS-NNS); another between a nonnative speaker and a native speaker (NNS-NS); and the other between a nonnative speaker and a nativelike chatbot (NNS-NC). 78 college students of English as a foreign language between 19 to 22 years old were sampled and assigned into the three groups, each consisting of 30, 20, and 28, respectively. Over a 16-week period, they engaged in ten 10-minute-long chat sessions. All groups were tested before and after the treatment. A paired-samples t-test was conducted to compare pre-and post-test scores as far as fluency, accuracy, and complexity concerned. To find out the differences between mean scores of the groups, a one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was run. Results indicated that all three groups showed significant improvement in accuracy while only NNS-NS and NNS-NC groups did in fluency. No effects for complexity were evident. In terms of group differences, no statistical significance was detected. Participants’ perceptions of English learning and text chat positively changed overall. This study has pedagogical implications for EFL teachers, students, and researchers.