Artificial Intelligence in EFL Writing Instruction: A Critical Narrative Review of Feedback, Pedagogical Integration, and Learning Outcomes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66238/fsrma95Keywords:
artificial intelligence, EFL writing, automated writing evaluation, ChatGPT, narrative review, feedback literacyAbstract
Artificial intelligence is no longer a marginal issue in EFL writing classes. Students now use grammar checkers, automated writing evaluation platforms, and ChatGPT-like tools to test vocabulary choices, correct sentences, and sometimes reshape whole paragraphs before a teacher sees the draft. This situation has created a practical dilemma for writing teachers. AI feedback can increase the amount of response available to learners, yet it may also make revision less visible and authorship more difficult to judge. This article offers a critical narrative review of recent scholarship on AI-supported EFL/ESL writing instruction. It discusses automated writing evaluation, generative AI feedback, teacher mediation, learner engagement, feedback literacy, and assessment concerns. The review does not claim to be a systematic review; instead, it brings together selected empirical studies, research syntheses, meta-analytic work, and policy discussions in order to interpret a fast-changing area of practice. The central argument is that AI can be useful in EFL writing only when it is built into a guided writing process. Used as an unchecked correction service, it may produce cleaner texts without developing better writers. Used with teacher guidance and student reflection, it may help learners notice language problems, compare alternatives, and take more responsibility for revision. The article proposes a classroom-oriented framework that links three concerns: what AI can automate, what teachers must mediate, and what learners still need to do for themselves. It concludes by calling for more classroom-based research on independent writing development after AI support is removed.
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