Investigating the types and use of feedback in middle-school English language learners’ academic writing

With the increased rigor of academic standards, high expectations of academic writing skills have been imposed on students in U.S. K-12 schools. For English learner (EL) students who cope with the dual challenges of learning rigorous subject matters and developing their English language proficiency simultaneously, extra support and effective instructional strategies are crucial. Given the rapidly growing use of computerized testing and the prevalence of writing on computers in K-12 education, this study explored the use of an automated writing evaluation (AWE) tool in support of the needs of EL students and teachers. Specifically, this study examined the types of feedback that middle-school EL students received from the AWE tool as well as from teachers and how the students addressed the feedback. A total of 130 students participated in the study, including 106 EL students with different English proficiency levels and 24 non-EL students as a comparison group. The results suggest that the AWE tool provided considerably more feedback to EL students compared to non-EL students and that teachers’ feedback was mainly regarding language use rather than content development and organization. Drawing on the findings, implications for practice and research are discussed.