The effects of AWE and peer feedback on cohesion and coherence in continuation writing

Abstract

The past two decades have seen the development and popularity of automated writing evaluation (AWE) systems in second language writing courses. The present study investigates the effectiveness of AWE feedback provided by the iWrite system and peer feedback on improving cohesion and coherence in a continuation writing task. We recruited 96 students from four classes in an academic writing course in mainland China, with 46 students receiving AWE feedback and 50 receiving peer feedback. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from students’ two writing drafts and questionnaires, respectively, to investigate (1) the development of cohesion and coherence in the writings and (2) students’ perceptions of the usefulness of the target feedback. The results reveal that, compared to students receiving AWE feedback, those treated with peer feedback had greater success increasing the use of cohesive devices and improving cohesive chain formation in their revised drafts. Students considered the benefits and challenges of the two types of feedback in response to open-ended questions in the questionnaire. The evaluation of AWE and peer feedback provided empirical evidence concerning the use of feedback to improve cohesion and coherence in continuation writing tasks.