Journal article · 2025
A systematic review of the role of artificial intelligence in second language writing education
About the article
The review synthesizes 39 empirical studies published between 2019 and 2024 to ask which AI tools are used in L2 writing instruction, what they offer and what they cost learners, and where the field is heading.
The studies fall into three broad tool types: automated writing evaluation, large language models, and specialized writing assistants. Most classroom uses were guided by teachers, a pattern that points to the importance of structured mediation rather than unsupervised use.
Reported benefits include gains in grammatical accuracy, motivation, and learners' ownership of revision. Reported concerns include over-reliance on the tools, limited development of higher-order writing skills, and ethical questions.
Across the period, research moves from surface-level correction toward metacognitive uses of AI and toward its integration into genre-based and reflective pedagogies, although this shift is uneven. The authors argue for theory-informed and equity-oriented integration in which AI acts as a mediational resource within instruction rather than a substitute for it.
Citation
Luo, Y., Xia, Y., & Lu, X. (2025). A systematic review of the role of artificial intelligence in second language writing education. Digital Studies in Language and Literature, 2(2), 302–325. https://doi.org/10.1515/dsll-2025-0001
Related work
WriteMed: AI-assisted dynamic assessment of L2 academic writing · Distributed mediation in AI-assisted dynamic assessment