Comparing AI-Assisted Feedback and Collaborative Digital Writing for Improving Argumentative Writing among Indonesian EFL Students

Abstract

Digital technologies offer EFL learners new forms of feedback and collaboration in writing instruction, yet empirical evidence comparing AI-assisted feedback and collaborative digital writing remains limited, particularly in secondary-school contexts. This study compared the effectiveness of AI-assisted feedback and collaborative digital writing in improving Indonesian EFL students’ argumentative writing and explored the learning experiences underlying the quantitative outcomes. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed with 37 tenth-grade students from two intact classes. Students in the AI-assisted feedback group revised their argumentative essays using Grammarly, while those in the collaborative digital writing group worked collaboratively through Google Docs. Quantitative data were analyzed using paired- and independent-samples t-tests, while interview data were analyzed thematically to explain the observed patterns. Both groups demonstrated significant improvement in argumentative writing performance, with the AI-assisted feedback group showing greater overall improvement. However, qualitative findings indicated that the two approaches supported different dimensions of writing development. AI-assisted feedback facilitated immediate revision, linguistic accuracy, and independent monitoring, whereas collaborative digital writing promoted idea generation, negotiation of meaning, peer interaction, and argument development. These findings suggest that although AI-assisted feedback produced stronger overall learning outcomes, collaborative digital writing provided complementary pedagogical benefits. Teachers may therefore select or combine digital writing approaches according to specific instructional objectives and learners’ needs.