Enhancing scientific writing skills: the roles of artificial intelligence use, intrinsic motivation, and critical literacy

Abstract

This study examines how artificial intelligence or AI use influences scientific writing skills through motivational and cognitive mechanisms among university students. Employing a cross-sectional survey methodology, data were collected from students across multiple Indonesian universities and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings demonstrate that AI use does not function as a primary direct predictor of scientific writing performance; rather, intrinsic motivation and critical literacy serve as the pivotal conduits through which its effects operate. AI-integrated academic settings were found to strengthen learners’ motivational engagement and evaluative capabilities, which in turn facilitated the production of well-structured and analytically coherent scientific texts. Intrinsic motivation constitutes a foundational engine for sustained participation in writing tasks, while critical literacy operates as an indispensable cognitive instrument enabling learners to assess, synthesize, and refine information within AI-assisted writing environments. These outcomes underscore the necessity of conceptualizing AI as a pedagogical affordance that nurtures psychological engagement and analytical judgment, rather than as a substitute for independent academic writing. The study provides theoretical and practical insights for integrating AI tools into higher education writing instruction in ways that enhance motivation, critical literacy, and responsible academic writing practices.