Adult Students' Perceptions of Automated Writing Assessment Software

Entrepreneurs have been promoting their sophisticated automated writing assessment tools (AWATs) for a decade now. Ever since their arrival on the market, these intelligent programs have fostered a great deal of debate among educators. The scholarly body of research regarding AWATs is saturated with the opinions of composition teachers, writing theorists, and entrepreneurs. However, it lacks the input of a very important group of stakeholders – the students whose learning gains are affected by the use of AWATs. Generally, this descriptive study sought to include the voice of adult learners to the literature. Specifically, the study sought to determine the extent to which students perceive that the AWAT Criterion fosters learning and if student opinion differs depending on native/nonnative status. The results of the study confirm that adult learners, regardless of native/nonnative status, perceive that AWATs engage them in the learning process, encouraging them to think critically about their writing, developing their sense of independence, and promoting their responsibility for learning gains. This confirmation should assuage the fear of writing professionals.