An investigation into the acceptance of using grammarly as an automated writing evaluation tool a case study in english majored students at banking academy

BANKING ACADEMY OF VIETNAM FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ------ GRADUATION THESIS TOPIC: AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE ACCEPTANCE OF USING GRAMMARLY AS AN AUTOMATED WRITING EVALUATIO

BANKING ACADEMY OF VIETNAM FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

- -

GRADUATION THESIS

TOPIC:

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE ACCEPTANCE OF USING

GRAMMARLY AS AN AUTOMATED WRITING EVALUATION TOOL:

A CASE STUDY IN ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS AT BANKING

ACADEMY

Student: PHAM THI QUYNH DUONG

Class: K23ATCA

Academic year: 2020-2024

Student ID: 23A7510027

Instructor: Ms NGUYEN THI THU TRANG (MA)

Hanoi, May 2024

Graduation Thesis Banking Academy

DECLARATIONS

I hereby declare that this thesis is my own intelligent product, which was done with effort and dedication I have not submitted this thesis for any previous application for a degree Whenever contributions from others are mentioned, appropriate acknowledgements are provided, with reference to the literature review, and acknowledgement of research and discussions I have thoroughly reviewed the university's research ethics instructions, acknowledging both my responsibilities and the benefits of the people involved

Hanoi, 04th May 2024 Signature

Pham Thi Quynh Duong

Graduation Thesis Banking Academy

I also would like to thank all the lecturers of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Banking Academy for providing me with important information related to specific regulations for my graduation thesis

Furthermore, I would like to express my sincere appreciation from the bottom of my heart to my family and friends, who have always been by my side to support and encourage me throughout the thesis conducting process in particular and throughout

my whole learning journey in general They are the people who motivated and inspired me to keep trying and achieve the results that I have today

And last but not least, I would like to say thanks to the 131 participants who engaged in my survey The willingness and dedication in their accurate responses contributed greatly to my research

Once again, I would like to express my deepest and sincerest thanks to everyone for encouragement, support and guidance

Graduation Thesis Banking Academy

ABSTRACT

This study aims to assess the acceptance level of Grammarly among ATC students

at the Banking Academy and try to identify the factors influencing the decision to use the platform Quantitative data from an online survey of 131 ATC students were analyzed, utilizing the conceptual framework which was adopted from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) This model investigated the significance of factors including ease of use, usefulness, attitude, and behavioral intention in shaping the actual utilization of Grammarly Quantitative statements were categorized into specific factors to provide deeper insights into students' preferences regarding Grammarly's usage for writing evaluation Findings revealed that ease of use and usefulness were primary elements in fostering positive attitudes and behavioral intentions to use Grammarly among ATC students Particularly, students preferred Grammarly for evaluating grammar, spelling, and punctuation, but its utility in detecting sentence structure, word choice, and idea development errors was less considered This shows that Grammarly is a useful tool for evaluating diction and mechanics From the findings, it is suggested that teachers can tailor feedback approaches to align with students' writing objectives by focusing on aspects valued by students, but it could not be corrected by Grammarly Furthermore, students are encouraged to integrate Grammarly appropriately with teacher feedback, enabling a comprehensive evaluation of writing and gradual improvement of writing skills overall

Key words: Writing, Automated Writing Evaluation, Grammarly, Acceptance

level, TAM model

Graduation Thesis Banking Academy

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATIONS i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF FIGURES ix

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of the study 1

1.2 Objective of the thesis 2

1.3 Research question 2

1.4 Significance of the study 2

1.5 Scope and limitation of the thesis 3

1.6 Chapter summary 3

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 4

2.1 Writing 4

2.2 Feedback in writing 4

2.2.1 Definition of feedback 4

2.2.2 Different kinds of feedback 5

2.2.3 The necessary to give feedback in writing instruction 6

2.3 Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) 7

2.3.1 Definition of Automated Writing Evaluation 7

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2.3.2 Importance of Automated Writing Evaluation 8

2.4 Grammarly 9

2.5 Previous research about Grammarly and perceptions towards using Grammarly as an AWE tool 9

2.6 Technology Acceptance Model 15

2.6.1 Technology Acceptance Model 15

2.6.2 Applications of the TAM model in previous research 16

2.6.3 Conceptual framework 18

2.7 Chapter summary 18

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 19

3.1 Rationale of methodology 19

3.2 Research setting 19

3.3 Participants of the research 19

3.4 Research tools 20

3.5 Procedures of data analysis 20

3.6 Chapter summary 21

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 22

4.1 Demographic results 22

4.2 Results on the reliability of the scale 23

4.3 Results on the factors that contribute to the acceptance of using Grammarly 24 4.3.1 Results on perceived ease of use of Grammarly 24

4.3.2 Results on perceived usefulness of Grammarly 26

4.3.3 Results on attitudes toward using Grammarly 27

4.3.4 Results on behavioral intention to use Grammarly 28

4.4 Results on actual use of Grammarly 29

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4.4.1 Results on acceptance level of students using Grammarly 30

4.5 Discussions 31

4.6 Chapter summary 34

CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS, IMPLICATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDIES 35

5.1 Summary of the results 35

5.2 Implications 36

5.3 Suggestions for further studies 37

5.4 Chapter summary 37

REFERENCES 39

APPENDIX 43

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviations Interpretation

AI Artificial Intelligence

ATC students Students from Faculty of Foreign Languages in Banking

Academy AWE Automated Writing Evaluation

EFL English as a Foreign Language

ESL English as a Second Language

M Mean

SD Standard deviation

SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences

TAM Technology Acceptance Model

Graduation Thesis Banking Academy

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Number of students in each academic year Page 20

Table 2: Demographics results Page 22

Table 3 Summary of the reliability score Page 23

Table 4: Student’s perceived ease of use of Grammarly Page 24

Table 5: Student's perceived usefulness of Grammarly Page 26

Table 6: Student’s attitudes toward using Grammarly Page 27

Table 7: Student’s behavioral intention to use Grammarly Page 28

Table 8: Student’s actual use of Grammarly Page 29

Table 9: Acceptance level of students using Grammarly Page 30

Graduation Thesis Banking Academy

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study

English holds a significant role as a widely global language, particularly in the era characterized by global integration It serves as a vital means of communication, connecting cultural and geographical divides and facilitating interactions among individuals from diverse backgrounds Furthermore, English plays a pivotal role in facilitating economic exchanges and international trade, letting individuals participate in global markets effectively Additionally, it serves as a valuable means for accessing knowledge from various sources from around the world Hence, it is crucial for individuals to equip themselves with English proficiency as a tool to effectively meet the demands of life and work

In Vietnam, English has become a compulsory subject for educational programs, highlighting its pivotal role in individual qualification English includes four key skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, in which, writing skill is perceived

by teachers and students as a significant challenge to master In the context of writing instruction, feedback has long been recognized as a powerful tool for promoting and consolidating writing (Luft, 2014) as it offers students additional knowledge, skills, and motivation necessary for refining and enhancing their writing abilities

To provide students with effective feedback, many solutions have been proposed, one of the outstanding initiatives is integrating technology into the classroom to provide feedback through an automated writing evaluation (AWE) program In which, Grammarly has been one of the most popular tools currently used by English-majored learners to examine grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, and word choices, thereby assisting the writing process

To gain a deeper and detailed view of the current situation of using Grammarly as

an AWE tool by students in The Faculty of Foreign Languages at Banking Academy, a research topic "An investigation into the acceptance of using Grammarly as an Automated Writing Evaluation Tool: A case study in English-majored students at Banking Academy" has been formed

1.2 Objective of the thesis

The study aims to assess students' acceptance level regarding the use of Grammarly

as an AWE assistant and to draw implications from the findings To fulfil this objective, ATC students at the Banking Academy were asked about their experiences with Grammarly The study targets to uncover insights into using Grammarly and to enhance the integration of AWE technology in writing instruction

1.3 Research question

This study aims to address the following questions:

1 What factors contribute to the acceptance of ATC students to use Grammarly

as an AWE tool?

2 How do these factors determine the actual use of Grammarly among ATC students?

1.4 Significance of the study

The findings of this study aim to benefit both students and teachers in integrating technology into writing assessment Firstly, it identifies the factors influencing the decision to use Grammarly as an AWE tool and uncovers students' preferences for this application Teachers can utilize these findings to tailor writing evaluations, enhancing learning enjoyment and improving writing quality Additionally, the study also offers recommendations to address any limitations students might encounter when using Grammarly for writing evaluation

1.5 Scope and limitation of the thesis

The study surveyed English-majored students at the Faculty of Foreign Languages

of the Banking Academy to gather their opinions on using Grammarly as an AWE tool Information was collected through an online questionnaire to understand user's perceptions

However, this research article has some limitations Firstly, the results may be less convincing due to the limited number of study participants (131 Banking Academy students) Secondly, with a study duration of only 2 months, long-term effects might not be observed carefully Additionally, data collection was conducted through online questionnaire distribution, limiting the depth of research results

1.6 Chapter summary

English is gradually taking on an important role in today's world, requiring individuals to equip themselves with English proficiency as a means to meet the requirements of life and the working environment Therefore, the research paper was established to examine the acceptance level of using Grammarly to assist the writing process among ATC students at Banking Academy Although the research still has some limitations, the findings of this study are hoped to provide a comprehensive insight into the current situation of using Grammarly among ATC students Then, it can benefit both teachers and students and suggest future research

on the topics of integrating technology into teaching in general

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Writing

Nunan (2003) claims that writing is an activity of searching the ideas and analyzing how to express and arrange words into a sentence and paragraph that is clear to be understood Similar to Knoch and Storch (2016), writing is a skill that gives writers

a written message to convey or express their ideas and thoughts in meaningful language and mental communication According to this statement, this means writing is a person's capacity to communicate their ideas in written form

In addition, Toba, Noor, and Sanu (2019) stated that writing is one of the crucial English language abilities that EFL students should be taught for written communication and certain academic aims, such as essays, letters, articles, journals, and so on This is also true for Vietnamese EFL students, second language learners, however, may find it difficult to master some skills, therefore they should practice and improve important writing techniques

2.2 Feedback in writing

2.2.1 Definition of feedback

Feedback is information given to students about their work that focuses on helping them develop their skills After the completion of assignments and exercises, students receive feedback that highlights the positive aspects of their work and offers suggestions for improvement According to Jug, Jiang, and Bean (2019), feedback is information based on direct observation and delivered to receivers so that they can enhance their ability to achieve better results based on what they have received Meanwhile, Wiggins, G (2012) argued that feedback is "information about how we are doing in our efforts to reach a goal."

2.2.2 Different kinds of feedback

There are many types of feedback and different ways to define feedback As indicated in the research of Sabarun (2019), there are four main kinds of feedback including focused and un-focused of direct and indirect feedback Focused feedback determines particular errors or error categories, providing intensive correction for those areas In contrast, unfocused feedback addresses all linguistic errors made by learners In addition, direct corrective feedback involves teachers directly locating and correcting errors, enabling students to immediately grasp the correct form Meanwhile, Indirect corrective feedback occurs when instructors signal the errors but do not directly correct the mistakes

In another study on feedback for second language students’ writing by Hyland, K and Hyland, F (2006), there are three main kinds of feedback including teacher-written and oral feedback, peer feedback and computer-mediated feedback, as follows:

Firstly, Teacher feedback involves comments provided to readers with reactions to students’ works, to help them make progress and to clarify the mark the teacher has given In general, students respond positively to teacher-written feedback, but its exact effectiveness to writing improvement remains vague in both short-term impact on draft revisions and its long-term effects on writing skills Secondly, peer feedback involves individuals collaborating to offer constructive feedback on each other's work Peer response is viewed as a crucial support for the writing process, as

it facilitates interactional modifications that make input comprehensible and provides learners with valuable opportunities for practice, hypothesis testing, and revision based on peer feedback In addition, computer-mediated feedback refers to utilizing technology to automatically correct and evaluate writing, providing immediate responses ranging from individual grammatical error reports for ESL students to holistic assessments covering content, organization, and mechanics These programs have the potential to alleviate the burdens on teachers posed by larger class sizes and rising demands for personalized support Consequently,

automated essay evaluation presents itself as a cost-effective method to either replace or augment direct human feedback, as suggested by the author.

2.2.3 The necessary to give feedback in writing instruction

To produce a high-quality written work, students must go through several writing process steps in order It is more than about bringing words together to make a piece

of writing It needs to take several actions to guarantee that the written work adheres

to the correct development of the writing process In the study of Abas and Abd Aziz (2018), there are five main steps involved in the writing procedure, which include prewriting, planning, drafting, pausing and reading, revising and editing This demonstrates unequivocally that giving feedback - one of the forms of post-writing processes plays an extremely essential duty in creating a good piece of work

Much research has indicated that providing feedback has a variety of advantages Race (2001) argues that feedback is essential in all learning environments because it helps students acquire the language and is also seen to be a way to ensure linguistic accuracy and increase student motivation In line with this assertion, Ellis (2009) once stated that writing accuracy can increase when feedback offers clear instructions on language use, grammar, and mechanics Similarly, a study by Hyland, F., & Hyland, K (2019) indicated that cognitive skills can be improved by providing feedback that encourages students to recognize their writing process, pinpoint their strengths and shortcomings, and create improvement goals

Through the utilization of feedback-guided self-assessment and self-regulation exercises, learners enhance their awareness of their learning processes and gain the capacity to monitor and modify their performance to gain improvements

2.3 Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE)

Research on how to improve writing skills among college students conducted by Kellogg and his colleague Raulerson (2007) recommended that writing ability can theoretically be enhanced through active practice that helps students excel in controlling writing through repeated practice and related feedback They pointed out that AWE software may provide an approach to reduce the huge marking needs put

on teachers and, therefore, stably increase the number of writing practice that students make In addition, Graham and Perin (2007) also agreed that students' writing skills can be enhanced by using technology to generate their interest, motivation, and enjoyment of writing

This is especially true in the present era of technology and digital transformation Where a variety of automated writing evaluation tools are readily available at the fingertips to assist students in rapidly and comprehensively assessing their writing, ultimately enhancing their overall writing ability

2.3.1 Definition of Automated Writing Evaluation

Since 1960, early automated scoring apps have been developed to speed up the marking of written assignments and support teachers in providing comments on students' essays (Wilson & Czik, 2016) New trends in language instruction and evaluation have been made possible by computer technology in the realm of education AWE is one of these innovative uses of technology in language training, and it has notably helped to address needs ranging from summative assessment of writing components to diagnostic feedback (Warschauer & Grimes, 2008)

AWE is the process of assessing written texts using automated programs and algorithms to provide comments According to Shermis and Burstein (2003), AWE

is the ability of computer technology to evaluate and score written prose By scoring the text, examining the text's organization, and producing a thorough assessment of the written content, this technology tool can offer quick qualitative and quantitative feedback (Khoii & Doroudian, 2013)

2.3.2 Importance of Automated Writing Evaluation

The use of AWE software to provide computerized feedback has become more prevalent in writing instruction due to advancements in technology and the growth

of internet usage (Tuzi, 2004) The primary goal of AWE systems is to support writers improve writing skills by offering immediate, personalized feedback

AWE programs typically come with word processing capabilities, internet access, and electronic portfolio functionalities, numerous academics have claimed that students can significantly enhance their writing in some specific areas by implementing this artificial intelligence approach

Pupils can enhance their writing accuracy and mechanics due to the objectivity and consistency with which this tool assesses their performance (Wang, Shang &

Briody, 2013) Research by Lin and Huang (2010) confirms that utilizing AWE

tools aids in editing and revising processes, encouraging students to actively enhance their writing, particularly in grammar and spelling aspects Its objectivity and consistency, as highlighted by Wang, Shang, and Briody (2013), contribute to students' improved accuracy and mechanics in writing

Further research demonstrates that students' motivation receives a boost through computer-assisted writing For instance, Grimes and Warschauer's investigation (2006) revealed that U.S high school students displayed heightened motivation to practice writing upon integrating AWE tools into their classroom activities Beyond this, teachers and students alike perceive advantages in AWE programs, notably the provision of corrective feedback and immediate scoring, as highlighted in Wang's study (2015)

2.4 Grammarly

Grammarly is a useful tool for proofreading texts that can be applied to identify grammar mistakes Additionally, it presents corrections for plagiarism detection, punctuation, vocabulary usage, and spelling According to Schraudner (2014), it also provides style-specific editing for a range of writing styles

From numerous available programs, Grammarly is considered as one the most known AWE programs for assessing EFL writing classes Grammarly is an easy-to-use program that checks writing for spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes, helping students and academies with their writing Additionally, it offers thorough and helpful feedback with corrections and suggestions to improve the writing's clarity, precision, effectiveness, readability, error-free nature, and impact with a high evaluation speed and accuracy rate, as stated by Fahmi and Cahyono (2021)

well-2.5 Previous research about Grammarly and perceptions towards using

Grammarly as an AWE tool

Many researchers globally have dedicated their efforts to investigate the topic of Grammarly This section aims to present valuable information and findings from recent notable papers to support the study

First of all, Nova (2018) aimed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Grammarly program as an AWE tool for academic writing Through a narrative inquiry, the author explored the perceptions of three EFL Indonesian postgraduate students with varying durations of Grammarly usage, employing interviews and documentation The experiences of these students plays a crucial role for the implementation of Grammarly in grading academic writing The results revealed that the program's free accessibility, rapid speed of evaluation, and feedback facilitate efficient proofreading of academic texts, minimizing time and cost constraints The colour-coded feedback, accompanied by concise explanations and simple examples, aids users in identifying errors and enhancing learning However, certain limitations were identified, including occasional misleading feedback, challenges in detecting English variations and reference list errors, and a lack of

evaluation for contextual and content Despite these drawbacks, utilizing Grammarly's strengths in conjunction with students' existing knowledge can be useful in improving quality of the writing Consequently, it is recommended that further research investigate the effectiveness of feedback given by Grammarly in increasing writing quality of students to offer more comprehensive insights of the program's advantages and disadvantages.

Secondly, a study conducted by Ghufron and Rosyida (2018), aimed to investigate the utilization of the Grammarly application and in what area it was more useful in diminishing students’ mistakes in EFL writing compared to feedback given by teachers traditionally Employing a quantitative approach with a nearly-experimental method, the study utilized a writing test as its research instrument 40 Indonesian university students studying English Education Study Program were chosen and divided into two groups: experimental and control The experimental group received instruction using Grammarly software, while the control group received teacher indirect corrective feedback Results revealed that Grammarly software had a greater impact on three areas of EFL writing—diction, language use (grammar), and mechanics (spelling and punctuation)—but had less influence on content and organization It also fostered autonomy among students by requiring independent evaluation of their essays, leading to significant improvements in writing Conversely, corrective feedback of teacher had a stronger effect on content and organization, but was less effective in addressing diction, language use, and mechanics Overall, Grammarly was found to be more efficient than teacher corrective feedback The study suggests this application as an alternative evaluation tool for EFL/ESL teachers to foster an autonomous learning settings It is also recommended that teachers ensure students are proficient in operating the software and provide adequate linguistic knowledge before using this technology in the class

of EFL writing because some still demonstrated difficulty in accurately using Grammarly software and interpreting feedback, hindering their ability to self-correct their work In addition, the study sample size still relatively small Therefore, future research should aim to broaden the scale and scope of the investigation to ascertain the findings presented herein Furthermore, there is a need

for additional research to explore other topics relevant to the acceptance of Grammarly among EFL/ESL students.

In addition, a study titled "Grammarly as a Tool to Improve Students’ Writing Quality (Free Online Proofreader across the Boundaries)" by Karyuatry (2018) aims

to assess Grammarly's impact on students' descriptive writing quality The researchers worked with the lecturer to conduct an Action Research which included

40 students This study represents the systematic, continuous search for practical classroom solutions and expert insight by the reflective language lecturer Data collection included interviews, student essays, questionnaires, and lecturer observations From the survey, students expressed positive attitudes towards the using of Grammarly The lecturer also agreed that Grammarly is very useful in diminishing the corrections giving process on students' writings and making students more engaged in the learning process With 82% of students achieving passing grades when Grammarly was integrated into descriptive teaching, the researcher concluded that Grammarly can be utilized as a useful assistant to reduce errors and enhance writing quality of learners

Additionally, Koltovskaia (2020) examined how satisfied students were using Grammarly and compared their feedback with the manual, non-automated feedback that the Academic Learning Center has traditionally provided at CQUniversity It also aimed to examine to what extent Grammarly was suitable for particular student based on different backgrounds such as language proficiency, visa status and delivery approach Using a mixed method including quantitative and qualitative data, data was gathered in one term from February 2016 to July 2016 The study compared the responses of 54 students who received feedback from Grammarly with other comments of 42 students who received feedback from the traditional way from the Academic Learning Centre at CQUniversity The results show that in comparison to students who did not receive feedback from Grammarly, students who received feedback from Grammarly responded more positively to the survey questions and expressed a high level of satisfaction with the grammar advice they received Academic learning advisers can utilize Grammarly to effectively support

notable differences observed between cohorts or delivery modes From these findings, it is recommended that Grammarly can be added to the Academic Learning Center's toolbox, but it better continue to be used with instructors The author also mentioned some weaknesses of the study such as the small sample size, several variables, which could have impacted the response that not be considered in the study Asking pupils to self-report their test results and college grades also was quite subjective In future research on student perceptions of Grammarly, it is advisable to utilize a larger sample size to ensure findings Additionally, it is suggested to evaluate the accuracy of the program and the extent to which Grammarly improve students’ accuracy in using grammar.

Similarly, Fitria's research (2021) aims to provide an overview of 'Grammarly' as an AI-powered English Writing Assistant for EFL students in English Writing by employing descriptive qualitative research Data collection involves document analysis, with selected texts online on "Simple Present Tense" and "Simple Past Tense." These texts are analyzed using Grammarly software, and the results are described descriptively, focusing on aspects such as spelling, punctuation, and grammar The analysis reveals an enhancement in performance with the use of Grammarly Before using Grammarly, the student's score for the test was 34 out of

100 After utilizing this software, the student's score increased to 77 out of 100 Grammarly's suggestions contribute to this improvement by highlighting word correctness and explaining reasons for incorrect word choices The researcher recommends Grammarly for students as it effectively checks grammar, spelling, sentence, and typical grammar rules Furthermore, Grammarly is free for checking grammatical and spelling rules, as well as correcting errors in punctuation and capitalization Consequently, Grammarly is highly recommended for users who have a desire to translate various documents written in foreign languages

Finally, Fitriana and Nurazni's study (2022) aimed to explore English department students' perspectives on Grammarly software as a tool for checking grammar in their writing Conducted among sixth-semester students at Tidar University during the 2020-2021 academic year, concluding 150 participants, the research utilized a descriptive qualitative method Data collection involved questionnaires and

interviews allowing for in-depth investigation Besides some drawbacks, including instances where corrections from Grammarly altered the meaning of the text Some participants expressed uncertainty regarding Grammarly's suggestions, requiring them to carefully review their writing before making changes Additionally, the differences between the two versions of Grammarly: free and premium, in which the free version of Grammarly limits users from using some advanced features The findings also indicated that Grammarly provided many benefits for students Participants expressed its effectiveness in improving grammar in their writing The use of Grammarly also increased student involvement in studying grammar, enabling students to identify mistakes such as misspellings, incorrect structures, and punctuation errors The software's comprehensive features and user-friendly design facilitated the learning process, receiving positive feedback from students To enhance future research, the authors recommended exploring the same topic with different respondents on varying scales and locations This approach would provide

a broader understanding of students' experiences with Grammarly across diverse contexts

In conclusion, previous studies have shown much interest in integrating technology into the teaching of writing Many scholars have explored various aspects of using Grammarly as an AWE tool, as well as employed different methodologies to examine its strengths, weaknesses, impacts, and users' perspectives However, there

is still no model that has been specifically used to test the level of acceptance of using Grammarly In addition, there is not much research on the current situation of using Grammarly in Vietnam, so it is necessary to use a specific model to test whether the applicability of findings as stated by Karyuatry (2018) Koltovskaia (2020) and Fitriana and Nurazni (2022) in previous studies still hold true in different contexts This study continues to investigate students' acceptance of the use of Grammarly as an AWE tool but specific in the Vietnamese context, utilizing the model called Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by Davis (1989) To resolve the potential limitations for research scale, this research tries to expand the

survey scale to about 120 people to strengthen the persuasiveness of the conclusions

of the study This research focuses on experiences of using the free version

of Grammarly to evaluate writing because the students who participated in this study mostly use free version of Grammarly By conducting this study, it is expected to gain a deeper understanding of the real-life situation in Vietnam and offer the implications of Grammarly for writing instruction.

2.6 Technology Acceptance Model

2.6.1 Technology Acceptance Model

Figure 1: Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) adopted from Davis (1989)

The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) developed by Davis (1989) is a theoretical framework aimed at understanding how individuals accept and adopt new technologies According to this model, user’s attitudes toward using a specific technology are shaped by two key elements: perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use Perceived ease of use pertains to an individual's perception of the simplicity or complexity involved in utilizing the technology, based on the cognitive effort needed Meanwhile, perceived usefulness reflects an individual's trust in the technology's capability to enhance their efficiency in a particular task These are regarded as distinct determinants impacting the user's attitude toward using Then, influences the user's behavioral intention regarding its adoption and ultimately leads to the acceptance of using new technology Attitude towards utilization represents a user's subjective decision towards using a new technology, which can either positively or negatively influence their usage of it Behavioral intention to use reflects the user's intention to engage with the technology, and this can be predicted based on their attitude and attention towards it Actual system use,

on the other hand, refers to the user's opinions of the technology's ease of use, contributing to their satisfaction with its usage, as demonstrated in real-world usage contexts as stated by Ramadhani (2023) in his study

2.6.2 Applications of the TAM model in previous research

The TAM has been applied extremely widely in researching the level of technology acceptance of users in general and the level of acceptance of new learning technology applications in particular

Firstly, a study by Farahat (2012) on applying the TAM model to Online Learning aims to identify the determinants of students' acceptance of online learning and to investigate how these factors can shape students' intention to accept online learning Using a conceptual framework based on this model Applying a conceptual framework based on this approach To collect data from the 153 undergraduate students who used online learning, a questionnaire was created The findings indicate that the intention to practice online learning was significantly influenced by students' perception of convenience, usefulness, attitudes towards using it, and the social influence of peers It was also confirmed that it would be possible to predict students' behavioral intention to utilize online learning by looking at user's attitudes towards online learning, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and the social impact of referent groups

Secondly, Yilmaz, Maxutov, Baitekov, and Balta (2023) examined several factors related to students' adoption of Chat GPT, including perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitudes toward its utilization, behavioral intention to use, perceived credibility, and perceived social impact The findings of the study suggest that participants generally held favorable perceptions of Chat GPT in educational settings, indicating an acknowledgement of its benefits and value Moreover, the data of the survey reveal that a large proportion of participants thought that Chat GPT was easy to use, aligning with previous research on technology acceptance models emphasizing the importance of perceived usefulness and ease of use in influencing users' attitudes and intentions

Another study by Ramadhani (2023), titled "Using the Technology Acceptance Model to Understand Students’ Preferences for ICT Tools in Academic English Writing," delved into how the TAM sheds light on students' preferences regarding ICT tools for academic English writing Employing both interviews and

questionnaires, the study engaged 8 participants in interviews and surveyed 50 participants The findings tested a variety of applications utilized by students for academic writing, including Grammarly, Google Translate, YouTube, Turnitin, U-Dictionary, ERIC, and Research Gate The study revealed that students' acceptance was driven by factors such as ease of use, usefulness, attitude, behavioral intention, and actual system use This finding is also in accordance with the assumption drawn from TAM of Davis (1989).

The previous studies highlight that the TAM as a widely recognized framework for comprehending technology acceptance Key factors such as perceived usefulness and ease of use significantly influence the adoption of learning technologies Further extended models need to be investigated to understand the extent of acceptance of using new technology specifically Grammarly in evaluating writing automatically

2.6.3 Conceptual framework

The figure 2 below shows a conceptual framework for the present study, as follows:

Figure 2: Conceptual framework adapted from Davis (1989)

This study uses the conceptual framework which adapted from the Technology Acceptance Model to address the following questions:

1 What factors contribute to the acceptance of ATC students to use Grammarly

to evaluate the acceptance level of using Grammarly related to two research questions: what are the factors and how do these factors contribute to the acceptance

of using Grammarly among ATC students at Banking Academy

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Rationale of methodology

In this study, a quantitative research method was implemented The quantitative survey method is flexible and convenient because researchers can collect data from

a large number of respondents in a short time by using questionnaires to describe the attitudes, perceptions, behaviors, experiences, or other characteristics of the participants (Creswell, 2021) The main objective of applying this research method

is to maintain objectivity while still being able to research the context and the research participants According to Aliaga and Gunderson (1999), quantitative research explains phenomena by collecting numerical data analysed through mathematical methods in specific statistics When conducting quantitative research, researchers seek to describe current situations and establish relationships between variables (Charles, 1998)

3.2 Research setting

The study was conducted in the second semester of the school year 2023-2024 in the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Banking Academy This study is conducted to determine what factors that English-majored students consider when using Grammarly and to what extent they accept to use to evaluate writing English-majored students from all university years can join the survey to express their experiences and opinions

3.3 Participants of the research

This study is aimed at all students using Grammarly to evaluate writing at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Banking Academy The research is conducted in the second semester of the 2023-2024 school year

Here are the details of the survey participants:

Academic year First-year Second-year Third-year Last-year Total

Number 21 20 36 54 131

Table 1: Number of students in each academic year

A total of 131 students currently studying in the Faculty of Foreign Languages from different university years joined the survey There were 21 freshmen, 20 second-year students, 36 third-year students and 54 senior students who participated in the research

3.4 Research tools

This study employs a questionnaire that was based on a conceptual framework, which was adopted from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by Davis (1989) The questionnaire includes two sections Section 1 consists of demographic questions that gathers general information about participants, such as age, gender, and their experiences with Grammarly Section 2 contains question items that get students’ perceptions regarding the use of Grammarly Question items are rated on a 5-point scale of satisfaction: 1- Strongly Disagree, 2- Disagree, 3- Neutral, 4- Agree, and 5- Strongly Agree

3.5 Procedures of data analysis

The study employed a questionnaire that was based on a conceptual model, which was adopted from the TAM model, with certain modifications to fit the specific research context Following this, the questionnaire underwent a pilot test to gather feedback This pilot involved ten students and one lecturer, who were asked to complete the questionnaire thoroughly to provide the researcher with evaluations and comments The feedback was largely positive, particularly regarding the clarity and comprehensibility of the questionnaire Then, minor adjustments were made to enhance the questionnaire for improved clarity The finalized questionnaire was officially distributed to students as an online survey using a Google form After 05