The Implementation of Digital Support for Punctuation in Academic Writing of EFL Students

Abstract

Punctuation contributes independently to the quality of academic writing. However, little is known about how EFL students manage it in an environment saturated with automated writing tools. This study identified the digital supports that EFL students use in relation to their punctuation knowledge and skills in academic writing. It determined the extent to which these supports are used and relied upon. A cross-sectional survey was administered via Google Forms to students at fifteen universities, yielding 145 responses, and semi-structured interviews were subsequently conducted with seven participants selected for their experience with digital writing support. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and interview data were analyzed thematically. Results indicate extensive but weakly informed reliance. Most participants wrote academically at least weekly yet placed themselves at intermediate or basic proficiency, and a slightly larger proportion used digital tools at least weekly than wrote at that frequency. Grammarly was named roughly twice as often as any other tool, alongside smaller checkers and the built-in functions of ordinary word processors; no tool named was designed specifically for punctuation. A notable contradiction emerged: nearly four in five participants used grammar-checking software expressly to correct punctuation, yet fewer than one in thirty identified punctuation checking as a valuable feature, suggesting that students absorb punctuation feedback into their conception of grammar. Only about half had received formal instruction in using these tools, and most rated their effectiveness as moderate. Institutions should therefore treat competence with automated feedback as a teachable skill and make punctuation explicitly visible in writing instruction.