Artificial Intelligence in Reinforcing English Language Writing among High School Students

Abstract

In the field of teaching and learning English as a foreign language, the development of productive skills is a complex process that requires the assistance of new methods and strategies that integrate emerging technologies. For this reason, it is of great importance to understand how tools such as artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to improve the teaching of skills such as writing. However, in the Ecuadorian context, research proposing the use of AI to reinforce English language writing skills is limited, as the existing literature has focused specifically on the perceptions of the communicative community without a practical component. Therefore, the main objective of this research was to propose an AI-based activity guide to reinforce English language writing skills in high school students. To design the proposal, information was first obtained through the application of a test to diagnose writing as a process and as a product; then English teachers were interviewed to describe their digital competences with respect to AI. The analysis of results was carried out by means of a methodological triangulation to relate qualitative and quantitative data. The findings suggest that students have significant deficiencies in writing skills and that teachers have moderate competences, thus the activity guide proposed in this research seeks to take advantage of this knowledge to fill the existing gaps. The results also point to the fact that both students and teachers need to be trained in order to implement AI effectively and within an ethical and responsible framework.