STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES IN USING GRAMMARLY IN ACADEMIC WRITING: THE SIXTH-SEMESTER STUDENTS’ OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

This qualitative research aimed to explore the use of Grammarly as an online
writing assistant in academic writing among students of the English Education Study
Program at Universitas Bengkulu. The study focused on five participants from the sixth
semester who had previously taken academic writing courses. The findings revealed
five key themes: (1) Grammarly is frequently used, particularly when completing
assignments and academic papers; (2) Grammarly offers benefits such as improving
grammar, spelling, writing clarity, and boosting students' confidence in their writing;
(3) The weaknesses include confusing or incorrect suggestions, limited contextual
understanding, and increased dependency on the tool; (4) Students employ strategies
like re-checking Grammarly's suggestions, comparing them with academic knowledge,
and revising manually; (5) Challenges include internet access issues, reliance on
technology, and difficulty understanding AI-based feedback. Overall, students found
Grammarly to be a helpful tool for academic writing, yet they acknowledged the need
for critical thinking and manual revision to avoid overdependence.
Keywords: Academic Writing, Grammarly, Students’ Experience