Feedback and Revising in an Intelligent Tutoring System for Writing Strategies

This study investigates students’ essay revising in the context of an intelligent tutoring system called Writing Pal (W-Pal), which combines strategy instruction, game-based practice, essay writing practice, and automated formative feedback. We examine how high school students use W-Pal feedback to revise essays in two different contexts: a typical approach that emphasizes intensive writing practice, and an alternative approach that offers less writing practice with more direct strategy instruction. Results indicate that students who wrote fewer essays, but received W-Pal strategy instruction, were more likely to make substantive revisions that implemented specific recommendations conveyed by the automated feedback. Additional analyses consider the role of motivation and perceived learning on students’ revising behaviors.