The Role of Generative AI Tools in English Writing Teaching

HRMARS - The rapid developmenat of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced new possibilities and challenges for English writing instruction in higher education. This study investigates the role of generative AI tools, particularly ChatGPT and Quillbot, in university-level English writing teaching by comparing them with Grammarly, teacher feedback, and peer review. Using a comparative case study design, the research combines horizontal analysis across different feedback sources with vertical analysis of the evolution of writing support technologies. Data were collected from undergraduate students’ drafts, revisions, reflective journals, interviews, and feedback records. The findings indicate that generative AI tools provide immediate, accessible, and scalable support, helping students with idea generation, paraphrasing, discourse organization, and revision. However, their use also raises concerns about over-reliance, academic integrity, authorship, and the weakening of students’ critical engagement with writing. Compared with AI-generated feedback, teacher feedback remains more effective in addressing higher-order issues such as argumentation, rhetorical development, and disciplinary conventions, while peer review offers collaborative but uneven support. The study argues that generative AI should not replace human feedback, but should be integrated responsibly within writing pedagogy as a supplementary scaffold. By situating AI within the frameworks of the Zone of Proximal Development, the process writing approach, and critical pedagogy, this study contributes to a more balanced understanding of how AI may reshape writing instruction, teacher roles, and student agency in higher education.