Kiki Juli Anggoro, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5519-3036
Damar Isti Pratiwi, Politeknik Perkeretaapian Indonesia, Madiun Jawa Timur, Indonesia. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8009-0215
APA citation: Anggoro, K. J., & Pratiwi, D. I. (2023). Fostering self-assessment in English learning with a generative AI platform: A case of Quizziz AI. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 14(4), 489–501. https://doi.org/10.37237/140406
Abstract
The incorporation of Generative AI and platforms like Quizizz holds immense potential to deliver substantial benefits to both English students and teachers. Students can readily create their interactive self-assessment tools, allowing them to monitor their learning progress independently. Meanwhile, teachers can facilitate and enhance students’ independent learning, easing their workload, offering personalized insights, and boosting student engagement. Additionally, Quizizz AI can serve as a valuable resource for teachers looking to advance their professional development. Importantly, both students and teachers can explore new concepts at their own pace without the fear of judgment from others. While the platform offers numerous advantages for both educators and learners, several enhancements could render it an even more potent tool. By diversifying the types of AI-generated questions, the platform could create a wider range of activities targeting various English language skills. Furthermore, expanding the variety of AI-generated responses, such as voice or video, could facilitate the practice of productive skills like speaking. Additionally, written-text responses could promote writing skills. To further enrich the learning experience, the integration of AI for checking and providing personalized feedback on these responses might be considered.
Keywords: self-assessment, self-directed learning, generative AI, Quizizz AI
Self-directed learning (SDL) has become an essential skill in our increasingly complex and unpredictable world. It empowers individuals to acquire a wide range of desired knowledge, subjects, and courses – offering the convenience of learning at their own pace. Furthermore, it can significantly aid English language learning, which reveals its positive impact on students’ English language proficiency. A fundamental component of SDL involves self-assessment, as defined by Panadero and Alonso-Tapia (2017), as the various mechanisms and techniques through which students evaluate and assign value to their learning processes and outcomes. With the continuous evolution of technology, self-assessment is undergoing a transformation, becoming more accessible, engaging, and effective for learners worldwide. Technology tools are being integrated into self-assessment methods to enhance their efficiency.
In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands out as a significant shift. AI, such as Gen AI, has been recognized for its potential to enhance SDL. Ali et al. (2023) have developed TeacherGAIA, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot (GAIA) designed to support students in their self-directed learning and self-assessment outside the traditional classroom setting. However, many individuals lack the capability to create their own tools and must rely on free AI resources to foster their independent learning.
This article delves into a case study centred on Quizizz (https://quizizz.com), a widely used online platform for teaching and learning across various subjects, including English. It is reported that students favour Quizizz for its ability to boost motivation, engagement, and memory retention. Notably, the platform has recently introduced a new feature in its beta version known as Quizizz AI. Further, it explores how this innovative addition to Quizizz can specifically benefit English language learning, particularly by facilitating self-assessment.
Self-Assessment of English Through Quizizz AI
As noted earlier, self-assessment can be a valuable approach to mastering the English language. While classroom instruction with a teacher is beneficial, it may not be entirely comprehensive in advancing one’s English skills. For instance, studies conducted by Jeong (2022) and Xodabande et al. (2022) revealed the positive impact of SDL on students’ English language proficiency. Xodabande et al. (2022) particularly delved into how SDL influenced students’ English vocabulary development over time. In essence, self-assessment has the potential to enhance English language acquisition. When combined with technology, particularly Quizizz AI, this activity can become a potent and convenient tool. Within an educational context, this platform has the potential to offer advantages to both students and educators.
SDL and self-assessment necessitate students taking responsibility for their learning requirements, objectives, methods, and results. Nonetheless, these tasks may prove challenging for students. Quizizz AI holds the potential to simplify and streamline the student experience, particularly in the realm of self-assessment. After accumulating knowledge from various sources like educational videos or their preferred study materials, students can seamlessly leverage Quizizz AI’s capabilities to create interactive assessments. They have the option to either share links to the resources they have utilized or directly upload files onto the platform. Subsequently, the AI system autonomously generates comprehensive tests tailored to the content they have studied.
A significant advantage of Quizizz AI for students lies in its ability to help them evaluate their comprehension of the materials they have covered. Through these interactive tests, students can readily identify their strengths and areas that require further improvement, promoting focused and efficient learning. They can retest and generate similar assessments based on the same source, enabling them to track their progress and continue their learning journey independently. There is no reliance on teachers or external sources, as the AI system swiftly generates assessments, granting more time for in-depth study and skill development. Furthermore, since students create their quizzes, only they have access to the results and progress, eliminating judgment from external sources. Urhahne and Zhu (2015) stated that misjudgment from teachers, as external resources, caused students to have a lower self-concept of ability, a lower expectancy for success, more test anxiety, and less enjoyment in learning. In another study, Zhou and Urhahne (2013) assumed that underestimated students had lower motivation and less favourable achievement emotions. Therefore, the platform allows students to learn at their own pace without the need for comparisons with others.
In essence, the integration of AI into the learning process empowers students to take control of their education, fostering a deeper understanding of their subjects and optimizing their use of time. This innovative tool not only streamlines the learning experience but also enhances the quality and effectiveness of their educational journey.
Quizizz AI Potentially Enhances Students’ Vocabulary and Grammar
Quizizz AI not only supports content-knowledge acquisition in English courses but also significantly impacts specific English language skills, particularly vocabulary and grammar. Vocabulary learning serves as a crucial foundation for developing language proficiency since it is a fundamental aspect in terms of mastering reading, listening, writing, and speaking language skills (Al-Khasawneh, 2019; Pratiwi & Waluyo, 2023). Instead, grammar is considered a key area of language instruction (Castillo-Cuesta, 2020), which plays an indispensable role in English language acquisition by defining word types, word groups, and rules for constructing accurate and meaningful sentences. Previous studies have delved into the effects of Quizizz on students’ vocabulary and grammar skills. For instance, Huei et al. (2021) affirmed in their research the positive relationship between Quizizz and vocabulary proficiency, and Pham (2023) discovered that Quizizz serves as an effective tool for enhancing learners’ engagement in learning activities and bolstering their grasp of grammar.
Given this background, Quizizz AI emerges as a potent tool for self-studying vocabulary and grammar. Students can access materials from the internet, including videos, PDFs, or websites, and use Quizizz AI to create their self-assessment tools. These self-assessments can serve as progress trackers, enabling students to design multiple quizzes and retest their comprehension and mastery of these essential language skills.
Self-Regulated Learning for English Teachers and Students
English teachers can leverage the capabilities of Generative AI and platforms like Quizizz to empower students in their independent learning endeavours. While classroom time may not suffice, teachers can design interactive quizzes for students to complete outside of regular class hours. Quizizz has already integrated a feature for assigning quizzes as homework, making it a valuable resource for teachers supporting students in their independent English learning journey.
One key advantage of Quizizz is time efficiency. Generative AI can automate various tasks, such as quiz generation, assignment grading, and feedback provision. This automation liberates teachers from time-consuming administrative duties, enabling them to focus on more meaningful aspects of teaching, such as delivering personalized guidance and fostering classroom interactions. Personalization is another significant benefit. These platforms can tailor the learning experience to meet individual students’ needs and proficiency levels. English teachers can harness this personalization to address the unique challenges and learning preferences of each student, resulting in more effective instruction. Quizizz AI, for instance, offers the flexibility to customize quizzes by allowing users to select the number of questions, making it possible to cater to various groups of students.
Data-driven insights represent an additional advantage. The platform can collect and analyze data on student performance, aiding teachers and students in identifying areas where improvement is needed. This data can inform teachers’ decisions on the support and scaffolding they can offer to students, enhancing the learning process. Enhanced engagement is a crucial benefit. Gamified platforms like Quizizz, enriched by AI, can render English lessons more engaging and enjoyable for students. Teachers can harness this technology to create interactive and motivating learning experiences, encouraging self-regulated learners to actively participate and take charge of their learning journey. This heightened engagement bolsters students’ intrinsic motivation, a critical element of self-regulated learning.
Importantly, Quizizz AI may have the potential to address one of the major challenges in independent learning: students’ procrastination. Many students frequently procrastinate important learning and studying duties, even though they are aware that this delay would have negative consequences for them (Anggoro & Pratiwi, 2023; Steel & Klingsieck, 2016). Rozental et al. (2022) believed that procrastination negatively impacts students’ academic achievements and well-being. Hence, behavioural activation interventions that prioritise activity scheduling and incremental activity performance may be crucial in addressing feelings of inaction and self-hatred.
Beyond supporting students in their independent learning, Quizizz AI can also play a pivotal role in enhancing a teacher’s professional development. Educators seeking to acquire innovations or novel ideas can utilize Quizizz AI as a self-assessment tool. Teachers can easily create quizzes based on their chosen learning materials and subsequently engage with the content using the platform’s captivating animations. Importantly, this tool ensures privacy as only the user, in this case, the teacher, can access the quiz results. This eliminates any potential embarrassment associated with low scores, allowing teachers to comfortably review their performance, retake the quiz, or construct similar assessments using the same materials.
Challenges of the Current Version of Quizizz AI
Nonetheless, several constraints derived during the implementation of Generative AI and platforms like Quizizz in the teaching and learning process. First, there is a lack of variety of question types. The current version only allows multiple-choice questions. The teacher can add other types of questions manually. If the AI can also generate other types of questions, it would be better. Other types of questions might generate a myriad of possible activities. Second, varieties of generated resources. At the moment, only text is available. In the future, the addition of AI-generated pictures or illustrations might make the quizzes more interesting for the students. Independent English learning has become a prominent pedagogical approach, fostering learner autonomy.
Conclusion
The incorporation of Generative AI and platforms like Quizizz holds immense potential to deliver substantial benefits to both English students and teachers. Students can readily create their interactive self-assessment tools, allowing them to monitor their learning progress independently. Meanwhile, teachers can facilitate and enhance students’ independent learning, easing their workload, offering personalized insights, and boosting student engagement. Additionally, Quizizz AI can serve as a valuable resource for teachers looking to advance their professional development. Importantly, both students and teachers can explore new concepts at their own pace without the fear of judgment from others.
While the platform offers numerous advantages for both educators and learners, several enhancements could render it an even more potent tool. By diversifying the types of AI-generated questions, the platform could create a wider range of activities targeting various English language skills. Furthermore, expanding the variety of AI-generated responses, such as voice or video, could facilitate the practice of productive skills like speaking. Additionally, written-text responses could promote writing skills. To further enrich the learning experience, the integration of AI for checking and providing personalized feedback on these responses might be considered.
Notes on the Contributors
Kiki Juli Anggoro is an Assistant Professor at the School of Education and Liberal Arts at Walailak University, Thailand. He holds a B.Ed. in English Language Teaching from Yogyakarta State University, Indonesia. Additionally, he holds an M.Ed. and Ph.D. in Educational Technology and Communications from Naresuan University, Thailand. His research interests include technology-enhanced language learning (TELL) and the use of online technologies in English classrooms.
Damar Isti Pratiwi is an Assistant Professor in Politeknik Perkeretaapian Indonesia Madiun as well as a doctor candidate from Universitas Negeri Semarang. Her research interest is in teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL), teaching English with technology and English for specific purposes (ESP).
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Appendix
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