Academic Writing in the AI Era: Exploring Students' Use and Perceptions of ChatGPT

Academic writing is a challenging, complex, and demanding task (Rahimi & Zhang, 2018), especially for learners of English as a second language (ESL), who face additional challenges in mastering genre and disciplinary conventions (Hanauer et al., 2019). Despite English's crucial role in academia, higher education institutions sometimes inadequately address the writing difficulties faced by ESL students (Lim & Phua, 2019). Amid these challenges, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, particularly AI-powered chatbots, offer potential solutions (Kohnke et al., 2023). ChatGPT has garnered significant attention in education for its ability to provide real-time feedback and writing assistance (Lo, 2023; Rasul, 2023). However, its integration into academic settings has sparked ethical debates concerning plagiarism, academic integrity, and the authenticity of students' work (Lund et al., 2023; Rahimi & Abadi, 2024; Rowland, 2023), leading to a reluctance among students to acknowledge...Show moreAcademic writing is a challenging, complex, and demanding task (Rahimi & Zhang, 2018), especially for learners of English as a second language (ESL), who face additional challenges in mastering genre and disciplinary conventions (Hanauer et al., 2019). Despite English's crucial role in academia, higher education institutions sometimes inadequately address the writing difficulties faced by ESL students (Lim & Phua, 2019). Amid these challenges, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, particularly AI-powered chatbots, offer potential solutions (Kohnke et al., 2023). ChatGPT has garnered significant attention in education for its ability to provide real-time feedback and writing assistance (Lo, 2023; Rasul, 2023). However, its integration into academic settings has sparked ethical debates concerning plagiarism, academic integrity, and the authenticity of students' work (Lund et al., 2023; Rahimi & Abadi, 2024; Rowland, 2023), leading to a reluctance among students to acknowledge their use of ChatGPT openly. This study investigates the use and perceptions of ChatGPT among nine (n=9) ESL (Research) Master students in Linguistics at Leiden University. A qualitative approach involving in-depth, semi-structured interviews was adopted. In line with previous studies (Farhi et al., 2023; Ngo, 2023; Nguyen, 2023; Shoufan, 2023), the findings reveal that students employ ChatGPT for academic writing. The primary uses include brainstorming, paper structuring, argumentation, paraphrasing, and grammar and vocabulary checks. Motivations for usage include low confidence in writing in English, and limited knowledge and practice of the academic genre. While students can distinguish between AI- and human-authored texts, they generally view ChatGPT positively for its supportive role. However, concerns about plagiarism and dependency persist, indicating a need for clearer guidelines and ethical considerations in its use.Show less

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Academic Writing in the AI Era: Exploring Students' Use and Perceptions of ChatGPT