Abstract
Writing well is perhaps one of the most critical language skills to acquire as it helps
us to communicate by expressing our thoughts, feelings and ideas. Writing includes
a broad set of capacities such as thinking, composing and arranging ideas.
Paraphrasing is a particularly important writing skill which is useful across the
curriculum as it enables learners to deconstruct text to establish meaning. The goal
of this research study was to find out how students felt about using a digital
paraphrasing tool to improve their writing skills. The use of a digital paraphrasing
tool in the study was inspired by the fact that in the 21st century, digital tools are
ubiquitous making them a key component of modern society and living, transcending
almost all aspects of life. Data in this qualitative case study was drawn from a
purposive sample of Grades 10 and 11 learners in the Further Education and
Training (FET) phase. It was collected through focus group interviews and
observations, which were then analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings from
this study showed that the participants were motivated to learn when using digital
technologies. Furthermore, the participants revealed that using a digital
paraphrasing tool had assisted them in improving their writing. Based on the results
of this study, it is possible to suggest that teachers should use digital paraphrasing
tools to boost students' writing abilities.