USING GOOGLE DOCS AND MERCI APP IN FRENCH WRITING CLASSES

DOI: 10.18173/2354-1075.2024-0020

Abstract

This study compares the effectiveness oftwo automated feedback tools, Google Documents,which will be further addressed as Google Docs, andMerci App, in improving writing ability in French asa foreign language. Forty second-year students usedthese two reviewer tools to correct their B2-leveltexts. The data includes 80 student drafts edited ontwo tools and a survey questionnaire after using thesetwo applications. The results show that both tools helpstudents correct many errors at the sentence, word,and fragment levels but cannot correct errors at theinter-sentence, idea, and coherence levels. GoogleDocs detects more grammatical errors than MerciApp, but Merci App is superior when it comes tofinding errors in spelling, vocabulary, expression, andpunctuation. Students use the application's errorcorrection suggestions to correct their papers at a veryhigh rate, 92.6% with Google Docs and 81.7% withMerci App. The number of students who preferGoogle Docs is also higher than the number of studentswho prefer Merci App. The study proposes to use bothtools to correct students' writing errors and to helpstudents become familiar with error explanations inMerci App to help them systematize languageknowledge and develop auto-learning capacity