EFL Students’ Attitudes Towards the Use of ChatGPT in Learning How to Write Essays: Vietnamese Context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1602.13Keywords:
ChatGPT, student attitudes, essay writing, learning motivation, learning strategiesAbstract
The emergence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has created opportunities for the development of platforms to be integrated into English language learning (ELL). Appearing in late 2022, ChatGPT has gained widespread popularity due to its usefulness across all fields. This study investigates how ChatGPT affects students when learning essay writing and students’ attitudes towards the implementation of such chatbots in learning essay writing. Data collection involved distribution of a questionnaire to 150 university students majoring in English language. Additionally, eight participants participated in a semi-structured interview to provide deeper insights. The findings revealed that students view the generation of ideas, the enhancement of coherence and cohesion, the expansion of vocabulary, the improvement of grammatical skills, and the acquisition of suitable ideas for abstract topics as key benefits of ChatGPT. Meanwhile, cheating, excessive dependency, and unreliable replies are amongst the challenges EFL students reported. while ChatGPT holds promise as a supplementary tool in EFL writing instruction, its use must be guided by appropriate pedagogical strategies to mitigate associated risks. The findings contribute to a growing body of research on artificial intelligence in language education and suggest directions for future studies across varied educational contexts.
References
Ali, J. K. M. (2023). Benefits and Challenges of Using ChatGPT: An Exploratory Study on English Language Program. University of Bisha Journal for Humanities, 2(2), 629–641.
Ariyanti, A., & Fitriana, R. (2017). EFL Students’ Difficulties and Needs in Essay Writing. 158(Ictte), 111–121. https://doi.org/10.2991/ictte-17.2017.4
Atieno, O. P. (2009). An analysis of the strengths and limitation of qualitative and quantitative research paradigms. Problems of Education in the 21st Century, 13, 13–18.
Baskara, F. R. (2023). Integrating ChatGPT into EFL writing instruction: Benefits and challenges. International Journal of Education and Learning, 5(1), 44–55. https://doi.org/10.31763/ijele.v5i1.858
Bulqiyah, S., Mahbub, M. A., & Nugraheni, D. A. (2021). Investigating writing difficulties in essay writing: Tertiary students’ perspectives. English Language Teaching Educational Journal, 4(1), 61. https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v4i1.2371
Chukwuere, J. E. (2024). The use of ChatGPT in higher education: The advantages and disadvantages. ArXiv E-Prints, Xiv(I), 11.
Deng, J., & Lin, Y. (2023). Frontiers in Computing and Intelligent Systems The Benefits and Challenges of ChatGPT: An Overview. Frontiers in Computing and Intelligent Systems, 2(2), 81–83.
Duong, H. L., & Tran, M. T. (2023). Analyzing the Impact of Chat-GPT Usage by University Students in Vietnam. Migration Letters, 20(10), 259–268.
En, L. B., Phun, N., Tha, H., Thi, T., & Thuan, B. (2024). Exploring the application of ChatGPT in learning English of students – A study on perception of sophomores at Nguyen Tat Thanh University. Journal of Science & Technology, 7(3), 41–47.
Geng, J., & Razali, A. B. (2020). Tapping the Potential of Pigai Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) Program to Give Feedback on EFL Writing. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(12B), 8334–8343. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.082638
Hong, W. (2023). The impact of ChatGPT on foreign language teaching and learning: Opportunities in education and research. Journal of Educational Technology and Innovation, 5(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.61414/jeti.v5i1.103
Hung, L. Q. (2024). Artificial Intelligence in Language Learning : Vietnamese Students’ Perspectives on using ChatGPT. International Journal of Science and Management Studies, 7(4), 113–118. https://doi.org/10.51386/25815946/ijsms-v7i4p115
Kohnke, L., Moorhouse, B. L., & Zou, D. (2023). ChatGPT for Language Teaching and Learning. RELC Journal, 54(2), 14. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882231162868
Lund, B. D., & Wang, T. (2023). Chatting about ChatGPT: How May AI and GPT Impact Academia and Libraries. Minds and Machines, 30, 681-694. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-01-2023-0009
Ngo, T. T. A. (2023). International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (IJET), 18(24), 133–148.
Nugroho, A., Putro, N. H. P. S., & Syamsi, K. (2023). The Potentials of ChatGPT for Language Learning: Unpacking its Benefits and Limitations. Register Journal, 16(2), 224–247. https://doi.org/10.18326/register.v16i2.224-247
Oshima, A., & Hogue, A. (2007). Introduction to Academic Writing: Third Edition. Pearson Longman.
Peng, H., Ma, S., & Spector, J. M. (2019). Personalized adaptive learning: an emerging pedagogical approach enabled by a smart learning environment. Smart Learning Environments, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-019-0089-y
Rudolph, J., Tan, S., & Tan, S. (2023). ChatGPT: Bullshit spewer or the end of traditional assessments in higher education? Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, 6(1), 342–363. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2023.6.1.9
Schunk, D. H. (1995). Learning Theories: An Education Perspective. In Space Science Reviews (6th ed., Vol. 71, Issues 1–4). Pearson. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00751323
Stapleton, L., & Stefaniak, J. (2019). Cognitive Constructivism: Revisiting Jerome Bruner’s Influences on Instructional Design Practices. TechTrends, 63(1), 4-5.
Taecharungroj, V. (2023). What Can ChatGPT Do? Analyzing Early Reactions to the Innovative AI Chatbot on Twitter. Big Data and Cognitive Computing, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/bdcc7010035
Vygotsky, L. (1962). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in Society: Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press.
Yeo, S. C., Lai, C. K. Y., Tan, J., Lim, S., Chandramoghan, Y., Tan, T. K., & Gooley, J. J. (2023). Early morning university classes are associated with impaired sleep and academic performance. Nature Human Behaviour, 7(4), 502–514. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01531-x
Yu, H. (2023). Reflection on whether Chat GPT should be banned by academia from the perspective of education and teaching. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1181712
Zemach, D. E., & Rumisek, L. A. (2003). College Writing from Paragraph to Essay. MacMillan.
