Does the Automated Essay Scoring System Reduce Motivation to Learn English Writing? A Case Study of Chinese College Students

Abstract: Artificial intelligence technology has given rise to the Automated Essay Scoring (AES) system, which has greatly reduced the workload of English teachers. It can give overall scores, error feedback and writing suggestions in seconds, after students have uploaded their English essays. In China, the most widely used AES system is called Pigai, which has been shown to help improve English writing skills, but has caused resistance from some students who believe it reduces motivation and creativity in English writing. Using a case study approach, this study investigated 29 Chinese English learners who had used Pigai. Based on the Cognitive Process Theory of Writing, quantitative analyses were used to assess motivation in three writing stages: planning, translating and reviewing. The results showed that the negative impact on students' motivation occurred in the planning and translating stages for three main reasons: lack of interpretability, unsuitability of recommendation algorithms and inadequate feedback mechanisms. In addition, based on the results of the questionnaire and interviews, we made some design suggestions for the AES system to improve user experience.

Keywords: Automated Essay Scoring, Writing, Motivation, Pigai, User Experience Design

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1003227

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