Comparing AI and Teacher Corrective Feedback on Iranian EFL Learners’ Essay Writing Skills
Mozhdeh Sazandeh, Maryam Beiki
Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies · pp. 473–486 · Published 5 May 2025
10.9734/ajess/2025/v51i51934Abstract
Aims: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of teacher-generated versus AI-generated corrective feedback on the essay writing skills of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. Study Design: Quasi-experimental design. Place and Duration of Study: Department of TEFL, Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, conducted over a 16-week period in 2025. Methodology: A total of 80 Iranian intermediate EFL learners were selected through convenience sampling and divided into two equal groups: Teacher-Generated Corrective Feedback Group (TGFG, n=40) and AI-Generated Corrective Feedback Group (AGFG, n=40). Both groups participated in 16 instructional sessions, receiving feedback on their essays either from a human instructor or an AI-based application (ChatGPT). Writing performance was assessed using IELTS-based pretests and posttests, evaluated based on content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics. The 6+1 Traits Writing Rubric was used for scoring, and inter-rater reliability was established. Results: While both groups showed improvement in essay writing performance, the AI-generated feedback group (M = 18.08, SD = 1.32) significantly outperformed the teacher-generated group (M = 16.93, SD = 1.29) on the posttest. An independent-samples t-test indicated a significant difference between the two groups (t(78) = 3.92, P = .000, Cohen’s d = .892), favoring the AI feedback group. Conclusion: The findings suggest that AI-generated corrective feedback is more effective than teacher-generated feedback in improving the essay writing performance of EFL learners. These findings have important implications for future teaching practices, particularly in enhancing learner autonomy and reducing teacher workload in large classrooms. AI tools can serve as a reliable and efficient alternative in writing instruction, particularly in contexts with limited instructional resources. However, their effectiveness may vary depending on learners’ proficiency levels, task complexity, and their familiarity with digital tools.
Cited by 0
No indexed citations yet.
Related research
- Developing Secondary School Learners’ Competencies in Speaking and Writing in English: A Study of Teachers’ Strategies in Kinondoni Municipality, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania — shares topic coverage
- Post-Pandemic Writing Skills of Senior High School Honor Students: A Content Analysis — shares topic coverage
- ICT Engagement, Reading Interest and Cooperative Learning: A Structural Equation Model on Writing Skills — shares topic coverage
- Examining the Relationship between Self-assessed Writing Skills, Learning Strategies, and Grammar Proficiency of Undergraduate Students — shares topic coverage
- Correlation between Research Self-Efficacy, Student Engagement, and Research Mentoring and the Writing Skills of College Students on Non-Board Courses — shares topic coverage
Article metrics
Real usage data collected on this platform.
4
Page views
0
PDF downloads
0
Outbound clicks
0
Citations
Views over time
Views by country
Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".
Traffic sources
Referring site, by host.
Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.