Exploring EFL Students' Perceptions: The Role of AI Chatbots in Enhancing English Writing Skills
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23969/jp.v11i03.64109Keywords:
Keywords: AI Chatbots, EFL Academic Writing, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Ethical AI Adoption, Islamic Educational Context, Post-Generation EditingAbstract
ABSTRACT
This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study investigates how secondary EFL learners perceive and ethically integrate generative AI chatbots into academic writing. Grounded in an expanded Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), it addresses qualitative experiences and spiritual ethical boundaries within Islamic educational environments. Quantitative survey data were gathered from 20 MAN 1 Malang students, followed by semi-structured interviews with five selected participants, analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic framework. Findings reveal high AI adoption; 100% of survey respondents agreed on task efficiency and grammar correction. Qualitatively, students utilize AI as an interactive scaffold to overcome writer’s block, structure outlines, and reduce writing anxiety. However, learners maintain critical agency regarding AI "hallucinations," expressing concerns over intellectual dependency, voice loss, and plagiarism. Rather than passive consumers, students display self-regulated agency through rigorous post-generation editing, such as lexical adaptation and structural re-engineering, to safeguard authorship. Crucially, this ethical boundary is deeply anchored in madrasah values emphasizing academic honesty and seeking spiritual blessings (barakah). Theoretically, this study broadens TAM into faith-based digital contexts, practically suggesting educators foster prompt engineering and critical editing over outright technology bans.
Downloads
References
Adiguzel, T., Silva, M. H., & Stojanovic, M. (2023). Generative artificial intelligence in education: Facing the opportunities and the challenges. Educational Technology Research and Development, 71(6), 2273–2298.
Al-Sofi, B. B. M. (2024). Critical digital literacy and artificial intelligence integration in EFL writing: Mitigating hallucination risks and enhancing student agency. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 27(2), 115–130.
Artiana, D., & Fakhrurriana, R. (2024). Digital familiarity and agency among Indonesian secondary EFL learners in AI-assisted writing. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 13(3), 512–525.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319–340.
Hall, A., & Ellis, R. (2023). Secondary school students and generative AI: Addressing concerns of academic integrity and passive learning. Computers & Education, 198, 104760.
Hayadi, B. H. (2024). AI chatbots as scaffolding tools in overcoming cognitive blocks during L2 writing. System, 121, 103210.
Herawati, N. (2024). Redefining academic integrity in the era of generative AI: Student perspectives in Islamic secondary education. Asian EFL Journal, 28(1), 45–62.
Lubis, A. H., Yusof, N. M., & Rahman, A. (2024). Evaluating the risks of uncritical AI adoption in Indonesian EFL classrooms. RELC Journal, 55(1), 88–103.
Pariyanto, P., & Tungka, N. F. (2024). Prompt-based AI interfaces and affective filter reduction in EFL writing instruction. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 37(4), 890–912.
Sani, A. M., Kusuma, A. A., & Putra, R. E. (2024). Multi-phase writing workflows and self-regulated boundaries among EFL learners using generative AI. Language Teaching Research, 28(2), 301–322.
Silalahi, R. M. P., & Agusrina, E. (2024). Self-regulation and ethical considerations in AI-assisted language learning. Journal of Language and Education, 10(1), 142–156.
Widyasari, C., Hidayat, N., & Prasetyo, H. (2024). Preventing cognitive skill atrophy: The role of self-evaluation in AI-mediated writing contexts. TESOL Quarterly, 58(2), 415–438.
Wu, X. (2023). Generative AI and authorial voice homogenization in L2 academic writing. Assessing Writing, 56, 100715
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Pendas : Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Dasar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
