Overcoming Writing Challenges: The Use of Ai-Powered Writing Assistants and Online Collaboration Tools in Foreign Language Education

Abstract

Writing is a mental activity that requires a greater focus and creativity to be able to deliver a meaning message that emerges from the mind. Sometimes, foreign language learners face the challenge of reflecting their thoughts in writing using their target languages. Nevertheless, this paper aims to investigate the perceptions of language students on the effectiveness of AI-powered assistants and online collaboration tools in tackling writing challenges in foreign language education. Compared to the traditional method of enhancing writing proficiency, integrating AI-powered assistants and online collaboration tools offers many benefits, as revealed in this research. These benefits include grammar and spelling correction, motivation and engagement, writing style suggestion, vocabulary enhancement, collaborative writing and feedback. The research integrated the use of mixed methodology to execute its main objective. While an online questionnaire was used to collate data from the 30 purposively selected students, a semi-structured interview was conducted to collate the qualitative data. Nevertheless, the quantitative analysis from the quantitative analysis showed that grammar is the most common writing challenge in foreign language education. The evaluation from the respondents’ pre- and post-course writing samples showed that some extent, these technological tools can help tackle writing challenges.