Tapping the Potential of Pigai Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) Program to Give Feedback on EFL Writing

Abstract

With the rapid development of educational technology, studies on automated writing evaluation (AWE) program have been gaining more ground in EFL writing education, particularly due to its potential in giving continuous, formative feedback on students' writing performance. However, little research has paid attention to the effectiveness of giving and receiving AWE feedback on improving EFL learners' writing performance from cognitive, constructive and sociocultural dimensions. By drawing on the Cognitive Constructivism theory, particularly the Cognitive process writing theory, and Sociocultural theory in particular the notion of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and Scaffolding, this article reviews past studies done on the use of AWE programs in teaching English writing and this article also attempts to propose for an AWE program called Pigai to be embedded as a teaching paradigm for EFL teachers to apply in writing classes for Chinese EFL students in China in giving continuous and formative feedback to their students, in order to improve English writing teaching and positively affect EFL students' writing performance. At the end of the article, the authors also offer strategies of the implementation of the Pigai AWE program through a framework for Pigai to be used with EFL learners.