Integrating Generative AI in Formative Writing Assessment: A Case Study of Learner Autonomy and Feedback Reception in High School English
Keywords:
Formative Assessment, Generative AI, Learner Autonomy, Writing Feedback, EFL WritingAbstract
This study investigates how English as a Foreign Language (EFL) undergraduate students receive and process Generative AI (GenAI) feedback during formative writing assessment, and how this interaction influences their learner autonomy. Employing a qualitative case study design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 25 students in the English Language Education Study Program at Universitas Bosowa (Unibos), Makassar, Indonesia. The qualitative data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis. Findings reveal that students do not passively adopt automated feedback; instead, they engage in active cognitive evaluation, applying a pragmatic selective filter to revisions. While mechanical corrections are readily integrated, macro-level structural and stylistic suggestions are critically negotiated to maintain authentic authorial voice. Furthermore, the non-judgmental, immediate feedback environment reduces writing anxiety, facilitating a shift from external teacher dependency toward internal metacognitive regulation and intentional decision-making. As students develop strategic prompting habits, they acquire sustainable self-efficacy and transferable self-directed learning skills. The study concludes that GenAI functions as a supportive cognitive scaffold in formative assessment, successfully balancing automated feedback efficiency with student agency and long-term writing autonomy.
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