The Student's Perceptions on Using Grammarly Tools in Writing Skill on First Semester English Students at STAIN Madina

Abstract

This study aims to explore first-semester students' perceptions of using Grammarly as a supporting tool in English writing at STAIN Mandailing Natal (STAIN Madina). A qualitative descriptive design was employed, involving 10 first-semester students from the English Education Department who had used Grammarly for at least one month. Data were collected through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, observation, and documentation of students' writing drafts before and after Grammarly-assisted revision, then analyzed using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña interactive model. The findings reveal that students generally held highly positive perceptions of Grammarly, particularly regarding its ease of use, accessibility, and usefulness in improving grammatical accuracy, understanding errors, and accelerating the revision process. Grammarly was also found to increase students' self-confidence and reduce writing anxiety, functioning as a form of instant, non-judgmental feedback. However, several constraints emerged, including dependence on internet connectivity, limited features in the free version, occasional inaccuracies in suggestions, and the risk of over-reliance on the application. Documentation analysis further showed that Grammarly effectively addressed lower-order writing concerns (grammar, punctuation, word choice, coherence) but had minimal impact on higher-order concerns such as idea development, argumentation, and organization. These results support the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989), confirming that perceived usefulness and ease of use drive technology adoption. The study concludes that Grammarly functions best as a complementary tool that supports self-editing and learner autonomy rather than as a substitute for lecturer feedback, and recommends balanced integration of technology with pedagogical guidance in EFL writing instruction.