An Empirical Study On Juku Automated Writing Evaluation System In College English Writing Teaching

With the rapid development and application of information technology in education, studies on Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) have gained more and more attention of educators in English education. AWE systems, which are designed to produce immediate computer-based scores for a submitted essay along with the diagnostic feedback, are effective pedagogical tools to improve learners’ writing proficiency. However, studies on AWE system in class environment and how to maximize the effectiveness of it are insufficient. The present study employed a naturalistic course-based approach to investigate whether, Juku, an AWE system, is an effective instructional tool in College writing course and what are the attitudes of students and teacher to the adoption of AWE system. A total of 163 students and two teachers participated in present study. To examine the effectiveness of AWE system in instruction, students and teachers’attitudes towards AWE adoption, test, questionnaire, interview and teacher feedback diary were employed. The result shows that AWE system can effectively improve students’writing proficiency when it is integrated with writing instruction as a supplementary tool. Moreover, AWE system was more beneficial for low- and medium-level students especially when AWE feedback combined with teacher feedback. Students’writing proficiency and target of writing learning play crucial roles in determining how to integrate AWE system into English class. Furthermore, implications and suggestions for writing instruction are presented to teachers and instructors who are interested in AWE system.