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New writing communities: AI-driven cross-linguistic collaboration in primary school.

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Title: New writing communities: AI-driven cross-linguistic collaboration in primary school.
Authors: Bakken, Arild Michel1 (AUTHOR) arild.m.bakken@uis.no, Burke, Patrick2 (AUTHOR), Dooly, Melinda3 (AUTHOR), Faneca, Rosa4 (AUTHOR), Kennedy, Eithne2 (AUTHOR), Martins, Mariana4 (AUTHOR), Teixeira, Madalena4 (AUTHOR)
Source: Frontiers in Education. 2026, p1-15. 15p.
Subject Terms: *Literacy education, Artificial intelligence in education, Machine translating, Multilingual communication, Attitudes toward technology, Cooperation, Human-computer interaction
Abstract: Introduction: Generative AI creates new possibilities for meaningful literacy work in schools, including opportunities for students to write for real audiences across linguistic boundaries. This study explores students' perspectives on a specially designed platform (AILIT) that enabled them to compose texts, have these texts translated by an integrated large language model, and share them with students in other countries. The receiving students reviewed the AI-generated translations and revised them to make them effective texts in their own language. Following this revision, the compositions were added to a shared library of texts in the receiving language. The study asks: How do students perceive their roles as authors, readers and editors when participating in an AI–mediated collaborative writing community involving students from other countries and a large language model? Method: Students from four countries — Norway, Spain, Portugal and Ireland — used the platform over four sessions. Adopting a descriptive qualitative approach, participating students (n = 151) completed an anonymous survey about their engagement with the platform. A subset of students (n = 32) then participated in semi-structured focus group interviews after the final session. The interviews explored themes identified in the survey and elicited students' views on AI, translation and writing. Results: The findings suggest that students perceived the platform as a way of participating in an authentic, transnational writing community. The process created opportunities for students to enact and negotiate the roles of author, reader and editor, while also reflecting on the quality, meaning and audience of translated texts. Findings also suggest that AI functioned as a mediating layer between authors and readers, enabling cross-linguistic exchange while still requiring human judgement and revision. Discussion: The study highlights the potential of AI-supported writing environments to extend students' audiences and purposes for writing while preserving the central role of human agency in literacy development. The findings point to the need for educational approaches that position AI as a resource that amplifies, rather than replaces, the human judgement, collaboration and communicative purpose at the heart of literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Education Research Complete
Description
Abstract:Introduction: Generative AI creates new possibilities for meaningful literacy work in schools, including opportunities for students to write for real audiences across linguistic boundaries. This study explores students' perspectives on a specially designed platform (AILIT) that enabled them to compose texts, have these texts translated by an integrated large language model, and share them with students in other countries. The receiving students reviewed the AI-generated translations and revised them to make them effective texts in their own language. Following this revision, the compositions were added to a shared library of texts in the receiving language. The study asks: How do students perceive their roles as authors, readers and editors when participating in an AI–mediated collaborative writing community involving students from other countries and a large language model? Method: Students from four countries — Norway, Spain, Portugal and Ireland — used the platform over four sessions. Adopting a descriptive qualitative approach, participating students (n = 151) completed an anonymous survey about their engagement with the platform. A subset of students (n = 32) then participated in semi-structured focus group interviews after the final session. The interviews explored themes identified in the survey and elicited students' views on AI, translation and writing. Results: The findings suggest that students perceived the platform as a way of participating in an authentic, transnational writing community. The process created opportunities for students to enact and negotiate the roles of author, reader and editor, while also reflecting on the quality, meaning and audience of translated texts. Findings also suggest that AI functioned as a mediating layer between authors and readers, enabling cross-linguistic exchange while still requiring human judgement and revision. Discussion: The study highlights the potential of AI-supported writing environments to extend students' audiences and purposes for writing while preserving the central role of human agency in literacy development. The findings point to the need for educational approaches that position AI as a resource that amplifies, rather than replaces, the human judgement, collaboration and communicative purpose at the heart of literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:2504284X
DOI:10.3389/feduc.2026.1800040