AI ESSAY FEEDBACK AND WRITING SELF-EFFICACY AMONG PAKISTANI HIGH-SCHOOL GIRLS: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY

Abstract

This paper investigates how high-school girls in Pakistan are impacted by essay feedback enabled through AI such as automated essay graders on writing self-efficacy, which has not been studied much concerning educational technologies. With artificial intelligence (AI) being one of the greatest areas that have transformed education in most parts of the world, there is an inclination that it should be explored on how to improve writing skills more so in a developing country where girl child education is common. This research aims to answer two questions: do the AI-generated feedback have an effect on the writing skills of Pakistani high-school girls and how do they affect their self-perception and feelings towards writing tasks. A mixed-methods research design was taken in conjunction with using surveys (n=200) and interviews (n=40) to allow quantitative and qualitative aspects to be addressed using questions and open-ended questions to gain information on the experiences and perception of the students. The results indicate that AI feedback is positively affecting the self-efficacy in writing among the students, contributing to writing confidence and another boost in the quality of writing. Nonetheless, the study also identifies such difficulties as narrow access to technology and non-human feedback rejection. These findings have significant implications towards the use of AI tools in the education arena and more so in South Asian nations. The research will be a contributing factor to the burgeoning nature of research on AI in education especially gender and technology in Pakistan.