ChatGPT in AI-Assisted Learning: Enhancing Academic Writing and Autonomy for Thai EFL Learners
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This study investigates the efficacy of ChatGPT as an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing aid among Thai students by probing factors of use, learner attitudes, and teachers' recommendations. Over 15 weeks of the 2024 second semester, it was conducted among 43 third-year undergraduate students and 10 instructors at three Thai universities, who were selected via purposive sampling. It employed a mixed-methods approach that utilized IELTS-based pre- and post-tests, surveys, focus groups, interviews, and observations. Outcomes showed significant improvement in writing, with mean IELTS scores rising from 10.86 (Fair) to 16.86 (Excellent) in task achievement, coherence, lexical resource, and grammar. The most compelling adoption drivers were motivation, technological accessibility, teacher support, and task variety. Students rated ChatGPT highly on usefulness (M=4.45), learning support (M=4.44), impact (M=4.46), and autonomy (M=4.55), but reported limitations like AI errors and potential over-reliance. Teachers recommended ethical deployment through the ADDIE model, emphasizing training and pedagogical fit. The findings highlight ChatGPT's potential to enhance writing ability and learner autonomy in Thai EFL contexts. Nevertheless, technological infrastructure, cultural differences, and AI constraint obstacles must be mitigated through greater access, teacher training, and multiple task development. The current study highlights the need for strategic integration to maximize the benefits of ChatGPT while mitigating its limitations in EFL instructional academic writing.
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