Leveraging Hybrid Intelligence: How Teacher Agency Influences Behavioural Engagement in Human-AI Collaborative Writing Feedback Practices

The prevalent use of AI technology in education has sparked versatile innovations for pedagogical
enhancement. Teachers possess unique and irreplaceable qualities that are crucial to education. In
the context of L2 students’ genre-based writing, it remains an open question how GenAI and human
teachers’ feedback can complement each other to enhance students’ learning outcomes. This study
compares 14 feedback reports from teacher markers who utilised AI-recommended action points to
varying degrees with the original AI-generated feedback report of a sample book review, along with
data from a focus group interview and 12 reflective journals. It explores how teachers and Generative
AI collaboratively construct feedback through an interactive AI-assisted platform tailored for genrebased
writing. This study highlights the importance of teacher engagement and teacher agency in
AI-enabled settings. The results reveal the complementary strengths of Generative AI (GenAI) and
teachers in feedback practices. However, its effectiveness relies on teachers’ critical engagement
and familiarity with technology. A balanced approach is essential to maximise benefits and address
challenges in AI-assisted feedback. Based on our findings, a theoretical model illustrating teachers’
behavioural engagement with GenAI feedback has been derived to evaluate the effectiveness of AIassisted
feedback. This model highlights teachers’ engagement with the GenAI feedback based on
their agency, influenced by their capacity and willingness to perceive and shape the affordances of
GenAI feedback. This research contributes to the ongoing conversation on the future of feedback
delivery in an AI-driven world.