Abstract :
The purpose of this study was to investigate problems and potentials of new
technologies in English writing education. The effectiveness of automated
writing evaluation (AWE) (MY Access) and of peer evaluation (PE) was compared.
Twenty-two English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in Taiwan
participated in this study. They submitted their draft to MY Access, received
feedback from this automated grading system and then made some revision. In
addition to the AWE, they also had peer revision in writing class. Three issues,
including how writers used the feedback from these two kinds of evaluation,
what progress they made in writing and how they perceived these two kinds of
evaluation, are discussed. Results showed that EFL learners in Taiwan generally
opted for PE over AWE. These findings raise several relevant issues, including
social learning, feedback strategies, computer anxiety and cultural impact.
