Automated writing evaluation in an EFL setting: Lessons from China

Abstract

This paper reports a series of research studies on the use of automated writing evaluation (awe) in secondary and university settings in China. The secondary school study featured the use of awe in six intact classes of 268 senior high school students for one academic year. The university study group comprised 460 students from five universities across the country. The teaching experiment included the introduction of an awe tool, Writing Roadmap, to the English as a Foreign Language classroom and offering support to the teachers. A mixed-methods approach in the form of quasiexperimental research design, questionnaires, interviews and journals were undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of the teaching experiment. In this paper, we summarize the results of these studies in relationship to implementation, teacher and student attitudes, effects on writing and revision processes, and impact on writing test score outcomes. We also discuss the key factors affecting the successful integration of this technology in the classroom.