EFL Students’ Perceptions on Using ChatGPT as an AI Tool for Developing Academic Writing Skills: A Case Study at University College of Haql

Abstract

With advancing artificial intelligence (AI) technology, writing assistance tools now include plagiarism detectors, ChatGPT and grammar checkers. These AI tools help students of EFL to improve their writing, communication, creativity, and critical thinking, thereby developing language skills and academic success. Various writing tasks are supported by the Open AI Chat GPT application, and this study explores the perceptions of students regarding its effectiveness for improving their skills in academic writing. Using a closed-ended questionnaire with Likert scale for the collection of data, the quantitative study involved a sample of 50 students from the English language program within the University College of Haql, Saudi Arabia, who had used ChatGPT during one semester. Findings show a majority of respondents held a positive view of their use of ChatGPT for increasing motivation to learn (42.5%), provision of user-friendly and comprehensive features (43.5%), and assisting in correction of grammatical errors (33.3%). Some respondents were neutral with regard to the ability of ChatGPT to offer explanations for improving skills in writing (33.5%). To conclude, ChatGPT is able to serve as a tool of value to help students enhance their writing skills in English, though there is potential for further refinements to be made that would offer explanations in greater detail.