Many English-as-a-Second-Language learners seem to encounter difficulties when they attempt to write academic texts. Even though students learn academic writing conventions in the classroom, it seems difficult for them to apply these conventions, especially when they have to complete their assignments. This study examines the potential of employing Chat GPT, an AI tool, in shaping students’ academic writing skills. A small class of ten ESL learners participated in the study. First, they were given a pre-test to evaluate their proficiency in academic writing. During the treatment stage, all the students were required to write academic essays on various topics. The essay was limited to 400 words. Following the completion of each essay, they were asked to feed the essay to the Chat GPT and request the AI tool to rephrase it using academic writing style. Students were supposed to save the response given by the tool. Following this, they had a discussion with the teacher, comparing their own text with the AI-generated text. The teacher assisted the students in identifying the accurate use of language and determining whether any inappropriate prompts were offered by the AI tool. This process was repeated for a total of ten academic essays. After the treatment phase, students had to take a post-test without referring to the AI tool. Both pre-test and post-test were evaluated by an independent teacher who was not involved in the treatment process. Data were collected from the pre-test and post-test and from the focus group interviews conducted with the students. The data will be analysed both qualitatively and qualitatively. However, the data analysis is scheduled to be completed in the final week of August 2023. An improvement in students’ academic writing and an increase in their interest in learning academic writing could be anticipated from the study findings. Thus, the study findings will contribute to the pedagogical discussions on computer assisted language learning, particularly in academic writing.

---

Abstract Summary
This study examines the potential of employing Chat GPT in shaping students’ academic writing. Ten English-as-a-Second-Language learners participated in the study, which involved a pre-test, treatment and post-test. The pre-test and post-test were evaluated by a teacher who was not involved in the treatment phase. During the treatment stage, all the students wrote ten 400-word academic essays and then used Chat GPT to rephrase them in academic writing style. The completion of each essay was followed by a teacher-student discussion comparing students’ original text with the AI-generated text. The teacher assisted students in identifying the accurate use of language and determining whether any inappropriate prompts were offered by the AI tool. The data collected through pre-test, post-test and students’ focus group interviews are scheduled to be analysed in August 2023. The study anticipates an improvement in students’ academic writing and their interest in learning academic writing.

Authors:
W A Piyumi Udeshinee, NSBM Green University, Sri Lanka

About the Presenter(s)
Ms W A Piyumi Udeshinee is a University Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer at NSBM Green University in Sri Lanka

See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule

Bookmark