Examining the Peer and AI-Generated Feedback for Writing Proficiency and Learner Motivation

Abstract

This study investigated the comparative effectiveness of peer and AI-generated feedback on the writing skills and motivation of 90 intermediate-level female EFL learners in Iran, aged 17-18. Participants were randomly assigned to either a peer-feedback or an AI-generated feedback group. Using a pretest-posttest design, changes in writing performance and motivation were assessed using a writing task and the Motivated Learning Strategies Questionnaire (MSLQ), while the Feedback Perception Scale measured student perceptions of the feedback they received. The results indicated that the AI-generated feedback group showed a significantly greater improvement in writing performance than the peer-feedback group (p < .001). Conversely, no significant difference was found in motivation levels between the two groups following the intervention (p = .103). Students also perceived the AI-generated feedback significantly more favorably across dimensions like usefulness and fairness.                                                                                  

Keywords: AI-generated feedback; EFL learners; Motivated Learning Strategies Questionnaire; Learner Motivation.