Bridging the language gap: How AWE software fosters inclusivity for ELs and Non-ELs alike

When ChatGPT burst onto the scene in November 2022, many educators and parents worried that new writing tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI) would help their students bypass important learning opportunities. Instead, as University of Delaware associate professor Joshua Wilson has shown, AI-powered writing and evaluation tools have actually helped students develop their writing skills and have supported teachers in providing meaningful feedback.

Now, in a recent study published in Learning and Instruction, Wilson and his co-authors turn their attention to elementary English learners (EL), investigating how this growing population of students interacts with and benefits from automated writing evaluation (AWE) software. AWE is a class of educational technology tools that use natural language processing and AI to provide students with automated formative feedback that supports improvements in writing quality. 

They found that AWE technologies are equally beneficial for ELs as they are for non-ELs. Study participants accessed writing feedback to a similar extent, achieved equal gains in writing quality, focused on consistent dimensions of writing when revising and endorsed the AWE system to similar degrees, regardless of their language status.

“As AI-based feedback applications become increasingly prevalent, it’s critical that researchers examine the consequences of implementing those tools in authentic educational settings, with a particular focus on equity,” said Wilson. 

Wilson’s study focuses on MI Write, an AWE system designed to improve the teaching and learning of writing by providing students with automated feedback and writing scores.

To investigate interaction with the AWE software, Wilson and his co-authors looked at three dimensions of engagement: behavioral, or the actions students take in response to feedback; cognitive, or the thinking and revision strategies that students use in response to feedback; and affective, or how students feel about and perceive feedback.

Across all three dimensions, Wilson and his co-authors found similar levels of engagement across all students. They also found that the overall improvements in student writing over the course of the school year was not related to language status.

But, even in light of these positive findings, Wilson emphasizes that it’s important to view AWE as a teaching tool rather than as a replacement for classroom teaching.

For more on Wilson's research or to speak to him about AI in the classroom, click on his profile and reach out to him.