The Frequency and Accuracy of Prompts and Suggestions Made by Free Grammarly on Thai University Students’ English Writing Errors
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Abstract
This research aims to investigate the capabilities of the Free version of the well-known artificial intelligence (AI) writing assistant, Grammarly, in detecting and correcting writing errors made by Thai EFL students. The sample of 30 Thai students in this research all use Thai as L1. They were enrolled in an English paragraph writing course in an international program at a Thai university. A literature review not only identified and confirmed recurrent errors found in Thai students’ EFL texts but also revealed the tendency for contemporary learners to turn to AI software for help. To determine whether Thai EFL students can access reliable and effective assistance through Free Grammarly, the researchers uploaded one paragraph of text written by each student to the platform to determine the types and frequency of errors and the correctness of the editing suggestions offered by the software. The results revealed that Free Grammarly is a capable writing assistant. However, it produced some grammatically and contextually incorrect suggestions. To assist both students and teachers who may not be aware of the program’s limitations, the researchers identified and analysed all of the incorrect suggestions made by Free Grammarly on the sample texts. The researchers have also provided in-depth interpretations regarding each error and have offered suggestions for manually editing the text to correct the grammatical and contextual errors made by the program. The researchers have given recommendations for EFL instructors and students regarding using Free Grammarly in the classroom, setting language preferences, making use of its explanations of English grammar, and conducting further research.
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