A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of technology-assisted academic writing instruction in higher education

Academic writing, as a core skill in higher education, poses significant challenges in terms of language organization, logical reasoning, and creative thinking. Although educators have increasingly explored technology-assisted instruction as a solution, empirical findings on its effectiveness remain inconsistent. This meta-analysis therefore evaluates the overall effect of technology-assisted academic writing instruction and examines moderating factors by synthesizing 56 (quasi-)experimental studies from 6 databases, yielding 67 effect sizes. Findings revealed a significantly large and positive effect ( d = 1.209) of technology-assisted academic writing instruction on higher education students’ writing performance, with peak effectiveness observed in English-as-a-foreign-language contexts, genre-based approaches, low-intensity interventions, and English-for-academic-purposes essay tasks. Assessment type, technology type, technology media, and interaction pattern did not significantly moderate the overall outcomes. These results clarify previously mixed evidence by showing that contextual and pedagogical factors, rather than technology features alone, drive the effectiveness of technology-assisted academic writing instruction, highlighting its versatility and providing guidance for English-as-a-foreign-language course design, curriculum planning in resource-limited settings, and future research in technology-assisted writing pedagogy.