ChatGPT As a Formative Feedback Tool: Improving Narrative Essay Writing Among EFL Students
Abstract
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools become increasingly accessible in educational contexts, their potential to support second language writing instruction warrants closer examination. This study investigates the effectiveness of formative feedback provided by ChatGPT, an AI-based language model, in enhancing the narrative writing skills of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Sixteen undergraduate students from an Indonesian university participated in the study. Each student composed a narrative essay based on a personal experience and received individualized feedback from ChatGPT using a standardized prompt. They subsequently revised their work based on this feedback. Pre- and post-revision essays were evaluated by two trained human raters using a standardized narrative writing rubric. Inter-rater reliability was confirmed with a high Cronbach’s alpha score of .91. Statistical analysis using paired-sample t-tests revealed significant improvements in overall writing quality, with the greatest gains observed in style, voice, and coherence. Qualitative data from student reflections further indicated positive perceptions of ChatGPT’s feedback, citing its clarity, detail, and ease of use. While some students noted the tool's limitations in addressing cultural or contextual nuances, overall results suggest that AI-generated feedback can serve as an effective supplement to traditional instruction. The study highlights ChatGPT's potential to enhance writing development and learner autonomy, particularly in resource-constrained EFL classrooms.
Downloads
References
Banihashem, S. K., Kerman, N. T., Noroozi, O., Moon, J., & Drachsler, H. (2024). Feedback sources in essay writing: Peer-generated or AI-generated feedback? International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 21(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-024-00455-4
Chadha, A. (2024). Transforming higher education for the digital age. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 13(S1). https://doi.org/10.32674/em2qsn46
Dwivedi, Y. K., Hughes, L., Ismagilova, E., Aarts, G., Coombs, C., Crick, T., ... &
Williams, M. D. (2023). “So what if ChatGPT wrote it?” Multidisciplinary perspectives on opportunities, challenges, and implications of generative conversational AI for research, practice, and policy. International Journal of Information Management, 71, 102642. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2023.102642
Ekanayaka, W.I., & Ellis, R. (2024). Engaging with written corrective feedback. Instructed Second Language Acquisition. 8(1), 41-63. https://doi.org/10.1558/isla.26982
Ekizoğlu, M. and Demir, A. (2025). AI-assisted writing feedback for enhancing
secondary students’ writing skills: an experimental study. Research Square https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6430737/v1
Fisher, D. P., Brotto, G., Lim, I., & Southam, C. (2025). The Impact of Timely Formative Feedback on University Student Motivation. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 50(4), 622–631. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2025.2449891
Godwin-Jones, R. (2024). Distributed agency in second language learning and teaching through generative AI. Language Learning & Technology, 28(2), 5–30. https://doi.org/10125/73570
Hamzah, I. (2023). Students’ perception during negotiation of meaning in unfocused and focused tasks. English Learning Innovation, 4(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.22219/englie.v4i1.22513
Huang, R. (2024). Design and implementation of English writing aids based on natural language processing. JES: Journal of Electrical Systems, 20(6s), 2178-2187. https://doi.org/10.52783/jes.3132
Huda, K., Purwati, O., & Retnaningdyah, P. (2023). Implementation of the SIWI Learning Strategy to Encourage Deaf Students' Writing Skills At Extraordinary School (SLB) Lamongan. International Journal Of Humanities Education and Social Sciences, 3(1).
Huda, K., Purwati, O., & Retnaningdyah, P. (2023). The Urgency of Deaf Students and their Efforts to Improve Writing English Skills. International Journal Of Humanities Education and Social Sciences, 3(2).
Ibrahim, K. and Kirkpatrick, R. (2024). Potentials and implications of ChatGPT for ESL writing instruction. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 25(3), 394-409. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v25i3.7820
Jiang, F., & Hyland, K. (2025). Metadiscursive nouns in academic argument: ChatGPT vs student practices. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 75, 101514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2025.101514
Joe, A. & Mtsi, N. (2024). Impact of teacher workload on academic excellence and learners’ metacognition: a case study of two high schools in Chris Hani District. In Tezer, M. (Ed.). Metacognition in Learning-New Perspectives. IntechOpen, https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.114316
Kara, P., Ognjanović, I., Hölscher, D., Šćekić, L., Kovačević, P., Mantas, J., … & Bokor, L. (2024). Human-centric digitization in Montenegro: progress through 17 years of national independence and future trends. Electronics, 13(13), 2460. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13132460
Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon Press.
Mahapatra, S. (2024). Impact of ChatGPT on ESL students’ academic writing skills: A mixed methods intervention study. Smart Learning Environments, 11(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-024-00295-9
Mao Z, Lee I, Li S.(2024). Written corrective feedback in second language writing: A synthesis of naturalistic classroom studies. Language Teaching, 57(4):449-477. https://doi:10.1017/S0261444823000393
Ngoi, S., Tan, K., Alias, J., & Mat, N. (2024). Digital storytelling to improve English narrative writing skills. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v14-i4/21249
OpenAI. (2022, November 30). Introducing ChatGPT. OpenAI, https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt
Pariyanto, Abdullah, S., Nugroho, M., Barata, F.A., Pramesti, T., Putri, E.P., Ahmad, B., Akrim, and Rudianto (2025). From Classroom to Screen: Examining Academic Achievement in Indonesian Students’ Transition to Online Learning in Pre- and Post-pandemic. Pertanika: Journal of Social Science and Humanities, 33(1), 465 – 481. https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.33.1.21
Pariyanto & Tungka, N.F. (2024) Enhancing Writing Skills of EFL Learners Through Automated Feedback: An Empirical Investigation. Jurnal Ilmiah Spectral, 10(1), 028-042. https://doi.org/10.47255/gymtcf78
Polakova, P., & Ivenz, P. (2024). The impact of ChatGPT feedback on the development of EFL students’ writing skills. Cogent Education, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2410101
Saaty, A. (2023). Correlations between expressing feelings, conveying thoughts, and gaining confidence when writing personal narratives in one’s first and second language. World Journal of English Language, 13(1), 390. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v13n1p390
Steinert, S., Avila, K.E., Ruzika, S., Kuhn, J., and Küchemann, S. (2024). Harnessing large language models to develop research-based learning assistants for formative feedback. Smart Learning Environments, 11(62), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-024-00354-1
Yan, D. (2024). Comparing individual vs. collaborative processing of ChatGPT-generated feedback: Effects on L2 writing task improvement and learning. Language Learning & Technology, 28(1), 1–19. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/73597
Yan, C., He, C., & Sheng, H. (2024). ‘Grades alone are insufficient!’ Chinese EFL student teachers’ perspectives on teacher written feedback on course essays. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2024.2437116
Yunita, W. & Kusuma, L. (2022). Students’ preferences on the focus of feedback in writing research proposals, Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Educational Science and Teacher Profession (ICETeP 2021) (pp. 141-153). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-494069-19-0_17
Zebua, J. A. Z., & Katemba, C. V. (2024). Students’ perceptions of using the OpenAI ChatGPT application in improving writing skills. Journal of Language and Literature Studies, 4(1), 110–123. https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v4i1.1805
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) before and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges and earlier and greater citation of published work.
_(1).png)
