Speakers
Description
The presence of AI has dramatically changed the landscape of English writing learning with unprecedented support for students to overcome difficulties encountered in the learning of this challenging skill. Despite extensive research on AI in higher education, studies investigating AI usage in English writing remain scarce. This study discovers Vietnamese undergraduates’ perceptions of AI usage in learning English academic writing skills using a statistical survey followed by an in-depth semi-structured interview. Descriptive analysis revealed Chat GPT and Google Translate to be most popular and helpful in learning English writing skills in an academic context, as perceived by students. Participants also show a strong agreement on the benefits offered by these AI tools including support in the formation of ideas, brainstorm and outline organisation as well as checking with grammar and suggestion for more highly academic vocabulary use. The interview discovered participants’ diverse viewpoints regarding how AI tools help them deal with different learning difficulties in learning English academic writing. Despite enormous benefits offered by AI tools, students are also aware of their negative influences concerning overdependence on technological support and academic integrity in tertiary education. The study recommends that AI tools allow tremendous support for educational purposes, but more guidelines and checking tools should be applied to minimize its unwanted impacts.
Biography
Van Tran is a lecturer at the English Department, Hanoi University, with an M.A. in English Linguistics. She is dedicated to teaching English skills to EFL learners and expresses great interest in researching on linguistic teaching and learning.
Hoa Phuong Do is a lecturer in the English Department at Hanoi University, Vietnam. She holds an M.A. in TESOL and Foreign Language Teaching from the University of Canberra, Australia. Her research interests include teacher professional development, academic writing, and syntax.
