USING AI CHATBOTS FOR SELF-REGULATED WRITING:EFL STUDENTS’ PRACTICE, PERCEPTIONS, AND SUPPORT NEEDS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63506/jilc.1001.414Keywords:
AI Chatbots; self-regulated learning; writing skills; EFL studentsAbstract
This study investigates EFL students’ practices, perceptions, and support needs regarding the use of AI chatbots for self-regulated writing. A mixed-methods approach was employed with 243 EFL students completing an online survey, followed by semi-structured interviews with 11 participants from a public university in central Vietnam. The findings reveal that most students commonly used AI chatbots in their self-regulated writing, with ChatGPT and Gemini being the most popular tools. Students reported utilizing AI chatbots for various writing purposes during the writing process, especially the pre-writing and post-writing stages. Perceived benefits include boosting learning productivity, fostering language and writing development, personalizing learning experience, increasing learning motivation, and supporting self-regulation strategies. However, reported concerns involve AI-generated response quality, overreliance risks, ethical concerns, and insufficient technical support. Based on these findings, the study recommends that institutions and instructors provide proper guidance to help students integrate AI chatbots effectively into their self-regulated learning process.
Downloads
References
Alzahrani, G. A. S. (2025). Academic writing difficulties of EFL learners at Najran University. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 15(3), 217-229. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2025-0093
Amoush, K. H., & Alhosban, A. A. (2025). Mastering EFL writing with ChatGPT: A systematic review of benefits, challenges, and best practices. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 15(8), 2576–2583. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1508.14
An, Z., Gan, Z., & Wang, C. (2020). Profiling Chinese EFL students’ technology-based self-regulated English learning strategies. Plos one, 15(10), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240094
Barrett, A., & Pack, A. (2023). Not quite eye to AI: Student and teacher perspectives on the use of generative artificial intelligence in the writing process. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20(59), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00427-0
Barrot, J. S. (2023). Using ChatGPT for second language writing: Pitfalls and potentials. Assessing Writing, 57, 100745. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2023.100745
Bimpong, B. W., Atsise, P., & Owusu, F. (2024). Exploring the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) writing tools in teaching and learning: Faculty and students’ perspectives in higher education. East African Journal of Information Technology, 7(1), 380–393. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajit.7.1.2286
Chang, D. H., Lin, M. P. C., Hajian, S., & Wang, Q. Q. (2023). Educational design principles of using AI chatbot that supports self-regulated learning in education: Goal setting, feedback, and personalization. Sustainability, 15(17), 12921. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712921
Chia, C. S., Phan, J., Harry, O., & Lee, K. M. (2024). Graduate students’ perception and use of ChatGPT as a learning tool to develop writing skills. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 6(3), 113–127. https://doi.org/10.58304/ijts.20240308
Cope, B., & Kalantzis, M. (2023). A multimodal grammar of artificial intelligence: Measuring the gains and losses in generative AI. Multimodality & Society, 4(2), 123–152. https://experts.illinois.edu/en/publications/a-multimodal-grammar-of-artificial-intelligence-measuring-the-gai/
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage Publications. https://www.ucg.ac.me/skladiste/blog_609332/objava_105202/fajlovi/Creswell.pdf
Federiakin, D., Molerov, D., Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia, O., & Maur, A. (2024). Prompt engineering as a new 21st-century skill. Frontiers in Education, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1366434
Gao, J., Zhang, J., & Li, Y. (2025). Do AI chatbot-integrated writing tasks influence writing self-efficacy and critical thinking ability? An exploratory study. Computers and Education Artificial Intelligence, 9, 100472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2025.100472
Guo, K., & Li, D. (2024). Understanding EFL students’ use of self-made AI chatbots as personalized writing assistance tools: A mixed methods study. System, 124, 103362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103362
Ivanova, A., Fedorova, N., Tilga, S., & Artemova, E. (2025). Voices of Freelance professional writers on AI: Limitations, expectations, and fears. arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.05008. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2504.05008
Izah, S. C., Sylva, L., & Hait, M. (2023). Cronbach’s Alpha: A cornerstone in ensuring reliability and validity in environmental health assessment. ES Energy & Environments, 23, Article 1057, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.30919/esee1057
Karataş, F., Abedi, F. Y., Gunyel, F. O., Karadeniz, D., & Kuzgun, Y. (2024). Incorporating AI in foreign language education: An investigation into ChatGPT’s effect on foreign language learners. Education and Information Technologies, 29, 19343–19366. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12574-6
Le, T. K., & Nguyen, T. M. H. (2025). First-year English majors’ perspectives on the difficulties in learning the Writing 1 course. Journal of Science and Development Economics, (36), 75–86. Retrieved from https://jsde.nctu.edu.vn/jsde/article/view/535
Lee, D., Lee, S., Fels, S. S., & Seo, K. (2025). How students' self-regulated learning abilities influence intents and engagement goals in chatbot-assisted writing. In N. Yamashita, V. Evers, K. Yatani, X. Ding (Eds.), Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-7). Association for Computing Machinery. https://dl.acm.org/doi/epdf/10.1145/3706599.3719911
Listyani, N. (2025). EFL students’ challenges and solutions during and after the pandemic: A four-year study in an academic writing class. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 15(1), 224–234. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1501.25
Mollick, E., & Mollick, L. (2023). Assigning AI: Seven approaches for students, with prompts. arXiv Preprint arXiv:2306.10052. https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.10052
Ng, D. T. K., Leung, J. K. L., Chu, S. K. W., & Qiao, M. S. (2021). Conceptualizing AI literacy: An exploratory review. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 2, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2021.100041
Nugroho, A., Andriyanti, E., Widodo, P., & Mutiaraningrum, I. (2024). Students’ appraisals post-ChatGPT use: Students’ narrative after using ChatGPT for writing. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 62(2), 499–511. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2024.2319184
Patel, A. (2023). English as a Lingua Franca: Implications for Communication and Intercultural Understanding. Journal of International English Research Studies (JIERS), 1(1), 22–27. https://languagejournals.com/index.php/englishjournal/article/download/4/3/6
Rezaee, M., & Allahyari, A. (2023). The advantages and limitations of AI-powered writing assistants in the EFL classroom: Recent insights and future directions. Journal of Modeling and Simulation in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, 3(3), 61-68. 10.22075/mseee.2025.32194.1131
Richards, J. C., & Renandya, W. A. (Eds.). (2002). Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://www.academia.edu/44870341/METHODOLOGY_OF_LANGUAGE_TEACHING
Schug, D. (2025). Identifying EFL students’ uses for AI chatbots in academic writing. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research, 22(1). https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/1339690d-d65e-3b4f-8935-df08b6d736a7/
Sengar, S. S., Hasan, A. B., Kumar, S., & Carroll, F. (2025). Generative artificial intelligence: A systematic review and applications. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 84, 23661-23700. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11042-024-20016-1
Seow, A. (2002). The writing process and process writing. In: J. C. Richards & W. A. Renandya (Eds). Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice. Cambridge Professional Learning (pp. 315–320). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511667190.044
Song, C., & Song, Y. (2023). Enhancing academic writing skills and motivation: Assessing the efficacy of ChatGPT in AI-assisted language learning for EFL students. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1260843
Stephen, J. S. (2024). Academic success in online programs: A resource for college students. Springer Nature Text in Education. https://www.amazon.com/Academic-Success-Online-Programs-Education/dp/3031544382
Thai, T. C. T. (2023). Thái độ và kì vọng của sinh viên sư phạm tiếng Anh đối với ChatGPT: nghiên cứu tại Trường Đại học Sư phạm Hà Nội. Tạp chí Giáo dục, 23(10), 51–56. https://tcgd.tapchigiaoduc.edu.vn/index.php/tapchi/article/view/767
Vo, A., & Nguyen, H. (2024). Generative artificial intelligence and ChatGPT in language learning: EFL students' perceptions of technology acceptance. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 21(6), 199-218. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.T2024092900004091943901204
Xu, Y., Liu, X., Cao, X., Huang, C., Liu, E., Qian, S., Liu, X., Wu, Y., Dong, F., Qiu, C., Qiu, J., Hua, K., Su, W., Wu, J., Xu, H., Han, Y., Fu, C., Yin, Z., Liu, M., . . . & Zhang, J. (2021). Artificial intelligence: A powerful paradigm for scientific research. The Innovation, 2(4), 100179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2021.100179
Xu, Z. (2024). AI in education: Enhancing learning experiences and student outcomes. Applied and Computational Engineering, 51, 104–111. https://doi.org/10.54254/2755-2721/51/20241187
Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Attaining self-regulation: A social cognitive perspective. In M. Boekaerts, P. R. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (pp. 13-39). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-109890-2.X5027-6
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
How to Cite
