The impact of teacher feedback vs. self-AI-assisted editing on EFL learners' writing performance: Does their creativity matter?

The debate over the effectiveness of written corrective feedback (WCF) continues, with automated written corrective feedback (AWCF) emerging as a potential alternative to traditional teacher feedback. This quasi-experimental study investigated the impact of AWCF, using Grammarly, on the writing performance of ۷۸ Iranian intermediate EFL learners, while also examining the moderating role of learner creativity. Participants were homogenized via the Oxford Placement Test and divided into low, mid, and high creativity groups based on the Abedi-Schumacher Creativity Test. All groups received AWCF on six writing drafts over an ۱۸-session course, with their writing ability measured before and after the treatment. Paired sample t-tests and Kruskal-Wallis test results revealed that while all creativity groups significantly improved their writing from pretest to posttest, the mid-creativity learners benefited the most from the AWCF. The findings suggest that AWCF is an effective tool for enhancing writing, and its efficacy can be influenced by individual learner differences like creativity.

کلیدواژه ها:

Creativity ، EFL Learners ، AI-assisted Correction ، Teacher Feedback ، Writing