Abstract
This study investigates the integration of Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) to improve the development of authorial voice in English as a Second Language (ESL) students’ academic writing. Specifically, it evaluates AVATAR, an intelligent tutoring system designed to support both the performance and authorship belief aspects of authorial voice in argumentative essays. Conducted with 23 first-year ESL students at a Fijian university, this proof-of-concept study used a mixed-methods approach, including pre- and post-use surveys, interviews, and analysis of student essays. Participants engaged with AVATAR while working on an argumentative essay, and the system’s affordances were assessed through changes in authorial voice expressions and students’ self-perceptions of their authorship. The findings showed a statistically significant improvement in both the authorship beliefs and performance of authorial voice. Positive changes in authorship beliefs were evident in participants’ increased self-belief in their authorial voice, as reflected in higher post-use authorship survey results and increased self-scores participants gave themselves when reflecting on their authorial voice. In terms of performance, there was a significant increase in the authorial voice strength scores given to the essays participants edited in AVATAR. However, some participants expressed a need for additional teacher feedback to further validate their progress. This study underscores the potential of GAI to support holistic authorial development and offers insights for designing academic writing technologies that focus on both the product and the reflective processes involved in learning.