Designing an AI-Based Chatbot to Support Autonomous Writing in German as a Foreign Language
Abstract
The growing availability of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) raises new questions about its role in supporting autonomous writing and text revision in second and foreign language learning. This paper presents a design-oriented, quasi-experimental study on a personalised chatbot developed to support autonomous writing in German as a foreign language (DaF). Conducted over one school year with secondary school students at CEFR levels A2-B1, the study compares an experimental group receiving dynamic scaffolding and immediate during-writing feedback with a control group relying on traditional, non-dialogic tools and delayed teacher feedback. Data will include analyses of text quality in supported writing tasks and pre- and post-test tasks without tools, as well as questionnaires and interviews on motivation, self-efficacy and emotions. The study shows how GenAI can function as a process-oriented scaffolding tool that fosters learner autonomy without replacing agency.
Presentato: 06 Febbraio 2026 | Accettato: 27 Marzo 2026 | Pubblicato 27 Aprile 2026 | Lingua: en
Keywords Generative AI • Large Language Models • AI-generated feedback • German as a Foreign Language • AI-assisted writing
Copyright © 2026 Salvatore Varriale. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/ELLE/2280-6792/2026/01/005