Using Grammarly as an Automated Writing Evaluation Tool for Academic Writing: Perceptions of English Linguistics Majors at a State University in Vietnam

Academic writing, a writing form used in college courses (Oshima & Hogue, 2007), serves as the primary medium through which students can communicate complex ideas, research findings, and scholarly arguments in a structured and credible way.Due to linguistic barriers such as grammatical precision, lexical richness, and conformity to academic traditions (Karyuatry, Rizqan, & Darayani, 2018), academic writing is widely believed to be challenging for EFL students (Bui, Hoang, & Cu, 2022;Fitria, 2022).Feedback and evaluation are critical components in developing academic writing skills.Traditionally, instructors have provided feedback, offering insights into areas for improvement and guiding students towards clearer and more effective writing (Hyland & Hyland, 2006).As educational technologies advance, automated writing evaluation (AWE) tools have been developed and revolutionized this time-consuming process.AWE tools can offer instant, detailed feedback on various aspects of writing, enabling students to revise their work independently and efficiently (Karyuatry, Rizqan, & Darayani, 2018).Among the most well-known AWE tools is Grammarly, an AI-powered writing assistant that provides real-time recommendations for grammar, spelling, punctuation, style, and tone (Grammarly Inc., 2024