Student Perceptions and Usage of the Writing Assistant Tool Grammarly:

Analysis of Interview After Study Abroad

Abstract

This paper explores college students’ subjective evaluations of the significance of Grammarly and their experiences with it. We conducted semi-structured interviews with five students from a department offering semester(s)-abroad programs and nudging its students to use Grammarly to develop their academic writing skills. The research questions were: (1) how the informants rated Grammarly and why they gave it this rating, and (2) how they used Grammarly. Four of the five informants found Grammarly conducive to improving their writing, as it provides them with instant feedback and suggestions/advice on their drafts. Their narratives suggest that they have continuously and spontaneously used Grammarly, especially at overseas institutes, and have customized its various settings as per their preference and needs. One informant expressed a negative view of Grammarly, stating that she was often dissatisfied with Grammarly’s feedback and recommendations, as they misinterpreted her points, and thus she was concerned about over-reliance on AI. If Grammarly is to be incorporated into writing classrooms, instruction and assessment should be designed to strike a balance between these two opposing attitudes among students.