University Students’ Perception of AI Usage for The Development of English Writing Skills

Abstract

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) writing tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini has played an impact on how university students develop English academic writing skills. Although various forms of writing support can be found through these AI programs, concerns about students’ overreliance, inaccurate outputs, and academic integrity still persist. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore university students’ perceptions regarding the use of AI towards developing English writing skills. This includes the types of AI programs used frequently, how students perceived these tools, and the concerns students had when using them. An online questionnaire featuring Likert-scale and open-ended questions was distributed to 208 students from Universiti Sultan Azlan Shah (USAS) who participated in this study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data collected, and thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data collected from open-ended questions. Findings showed that students generally had a positive perception of using AI tools as an aid to improve grammar, vocabulary, organisation, and confidence when writing. Students also believed that using AI as a writing tool was efficient, as it allowed them to experiment with language and helped ease the writing process. However, concerns were raised about the overreliance on AI tools, inaccurate corrections given by AI tools, lack of originality, and possibility of plagiarism. This study could provide insight to educators and curriculum planners on the incorporation of ethical use of AI writing tools, while developing the skills to write independently and think critically for students.