Syntactic complexity of student-produced, AI-edited, and AI-generated expository texts using ChatGPT-4.0
Evidence from Vietnamese and Filipino EFL undergraduates
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22428165 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Anh Ton-Nu (0000-0001-8043-9838, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City), Jessie S Barrot (0000-0001-8517-4058, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-23 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-10 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1750-1229 • E-ISSN: 1750-1237 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17501229.2026.2642394 |
| OpenAlex | W7134907203 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 62 |
While studies have explored syntactic complexity in second-language (L2) writing, little is known about the syntactic features of AI-generated and AI-edited texts, or how these texts compare with student-produced essays. Thus, this study sought to fill in this gap by analyzing 690 expository essays (i.e. 230 essays produced by Vietnamese and Filipino students, 230 AI-edited essays, and 230 AI-generated essays) using 14 syntactic complexity measures. Our study revealed significant syntactic differences across the three groups in all 14 syntactic complexity measures, with student-produced essays generally exhibiting higher syntactic complexity, while AI-generated essays showed increased syntactic density but simpler overall structures. AI-edited essays fell between the two, enhancing certain syntactic aspects without fully replicating the complexity of human-written texts. Implications for L2 writing pedagogy, AI tool enhancement, and future studies are discussed.
English as a foreign language · Linguistic sequence complexity · Rhetorical modes · Syntax · Vietnamese · Vocabulary · Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education · Text Readability and Simplification · Writing and Handwriting Education
Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences
Collaborating with ChatGPT in argumentative writing classrooms
Using chatbots to scaffold EFL students’ argumentative writing
To resist it or to embrace it? Examining ChatGPT’s potential to support teacher feedback in EFL writing
Syntactic complexity in L2 writing
Analyzing the role of ChatGPT as a writing assistant at higher education level
Exploring the potential of using an AI language model for automated essay scoring
A large-scale comparison of human-written versus ChatGPT-generated essays
Using ChatGPT for second language writing
Measuring Syntactic Complexity in L2 Writing Using Fine‐Grained Clausal and Phrasal Indices
Conceptualizing and measuring short-term changes in L2 writing complexity
Education in the Era of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Syntactic Complexity Measures and their Relationship to L2 Proficiency
Task complexity, task difficulty, and task production
Towards an Organic Approach to Investigating CAF in Instructed SLA
ChatGPT-3.5 as writing assistance in students’ essays
Lexical diversity, syntactic complexity, and readability
Syntactic complexity across academic research article part-genres
Designing a course for pre-service science teachers using ChatGPT
Are Teachers Assessing Work Written by Students or by AI ? A Rapid Literature Review of Research on Detecting Content Generated by Generative AI
L2 English speaking syntactic complexity
Syntactic Complexity of AI-Generated Argumentative and Narrative Texts
Systematic review of research on artificial intelligence applications in higher education – where are the educators
A comparison of automated and manual analyses of syntactic complexity in L2 English writing
Automatic analysis of syntactic complexity in second language writing
The reliability and validity of automated tools for examining variation in syntactic complexity across genres
Planning in L2 writing
Effects of n-grams on the rated L2 writing quality of expository essays
Effects of Task Complexity and Planning Conditions on L2 Argumentative Writing Production
Should We Use Characteristics of Conversation to Measure Grammatical Complexity in L2 Writing Development
A Corpus‐Based Evaluation of Syntactic Complexity Measures as Indices of College‐Level ESL Writers' Language Development
A better or worse communicator? Comparing human and machine translation in source language shining through across registers
Capturing the Diversity in Lexical Diversity
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |