Leveraging AI to enhance writing skills of senior TFL students in Kazakhstan - A case study using “Write & Improve”

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by OmBimo

This study investigates the effectiveness of feedback provided by teachers versus feedback generated by the Write & Improve platform in enhancing the writing skills of senior undergraduate students enrolled in a “two foreign language” program at a private university in Kazakhstan. A quasi-experimental design with four teachers produced eight student groups, with pre/post testing over five weeks. Analyses used descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests, and MANCOVA. Results show no significant differences across dimensions of writing test performance, and longitudinal scores fluctuate without consistent improvement, indicating comparable effectiveness of AI and teacher feedback.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background on AI in education

Teacher-centered instruction and limitations

AI-assisted writing feedback in language learning

Contemporary Educational Technology, 2025, 17(1), ep548 ISSN: 1309-517X (Online) |
OPEN ACCESS Research Article
Leveraging AI to enhance writing skills of senior TFL
students in Kazakhstan: A case study using “Write & Improve”
Abbas Bodaubekov 1
0009-0001-7959-2605
Shakhrizat Agaidarova 1
0000-0003-0047-9886
Talgat Zhussipbek 2,3
0000-0002-6701-4701
Davronzhon Gaipov 1
0000-0003-3012-8067
Nuri Balta 1*
0000-0002-6364-5346
1 SDU University, Almaty, KAZAKHSTAN
2 Karaganda Buketov University, Karaganda, KAZAKHSTAN
3 Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
* Corresponding author: [baltanuri@gmail.com](baltanuri@gmail.com)
Citation: Bodaubekov, A., Agaidarova, S., Zhussipbek, T., Gaipov, D., & Balta, N. (2025) . Leveraging AI to enhance writing skills of senior TFL students in Kazakhstan: A case study using “Write & Improve”. Contemporary Educational Technology, 17(1), ep548. [https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/15687](https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/15687)
ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT | | | --- | --- | | Received: 11 Aug 2024
Accepted: 6 Nov 2024 | This study investigates the effectiveness of feedback provided by teachers versus feedback generated by the Write & Improve platform in enhancing the writing skills of senior undergraduate students enrolled in a “two foreign language” program at a private university in Kazakhstan. The quasi-experimental design involved four teachers, each teaching one control and one experimental class, totaling eight groups of students. Pre- and post-tests were conducted over a period of five weeks, focusing on task achievement, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, grammar and accuracy, and overall score. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests for pre-test comparisons, and MANCOVA analyses for post-test comparisons. Results show no significant difference in the impact of Write & Improve feedback compared to traditional teacher feedback across multiple dimensions of the writing test, both within individual teachers’ classes and when combined. Longitudinal analysis reveals fluctuating scores over time with no consistent improvement. Thus, the study concludes that the Write & Improve tool is equally effective as teacher feedback in improving students’ writing skills. This implies that educational institutions can potentially integrate technology-based feedback systems like Write & Improve alongside traditional teaching methods to enhance student learning outcomes in writing proficiency.
Keywords: AI feedback, English language, student learning outcomes, teacher feedback, Write & Improve tool | | INTRODUCTION | | The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in education has the potential to transform education by offering personalized, adaptable, and efficient educational materials and assistance to students of all levels (Relmasira et al. 2021) . Educators may better identify students’ specific requirements, personalize instructional content, and improve overall educational achievements by utilizing AI technologies. Numerous scholars investigated the use of AI tools in teaching and learning in relation to various platform use (de los Ángeles Domínguez-González et al., 2023; Fitria, 2021), digital pedagogy (Timonen & Ruokamo 2021; Väätäinen & Ruokamo, 2021), digital storytelling (Niemi & Niu, 2021; Robin, 2008), advantages of using AI in education (Luckin & Holmes, 2016), and advantages of AI writing tools (Toscano, 2023) . For example, Luckin and Holmes (2016) argue that integrating AI tools in education enhances inclusivity by assisting disabled students, offering immediate and detailed feedback, analyzing a broader audience’s work, and providing personalized feedback based on individual strengths and weaknesses. Utilizing such AI tools develops more student-centered learning, thus enhancing the overall academic experience of students. On the other hand, traditional teaching methods, also

FAQs

What comparison does the study make regarding feedback methods?

The study compares feedback from teachers with feedback generated by the Write & Improve platform to see how each approach affects students’ writing skills.

How was the research conducted?

It used a quasi-experimental design with four teachers, each teaching one control and one experimental class, forming eight student groups. Pre- and post-tests were administered over five weeks.

What were the main findings about Write & Improve feedback versus teacher feedback?

Across multiple writing-test dimensions, there was no significant difference between the impact of Write & Improve feedback and traditional teacher feedback. Longitudinal results showed fluctuating scores without consistent improvement.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by OmBimo